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Attracting Top Talent Means Nontraditional Benefits says Kelly

Gabriel Aparicio - Kelly
Country Manager

STORY INLINE POST

Peter Appleby By Peter Appleby | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Wed, 06/24/2020 - 09:14

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Q: What differentiates Kelly from other talent management companies?

A: Kelly connects potential talent with the work that will enrich their lives. We distinguish ourselves as a company that develops solutions for the industry’s talent through creative and agile means so that everybody can prosper. We understand that independently of the industry, talent is evolving in Mexico. Talent is searching for new and different things from a workplace. The fact that many people will be losing their jobs as a consequence of COVID-19 means we must be ready to provide connections between workers and companies on long and short-term basis. This includes specialized projects that require niche skills and knowledge. We must adopt a sound sourcing strategy so that positions that require these niche skills, very high levels of skill or produce high application rates, can be filled with the best talent possible in the shortest amount of time. We are working to anticipate talent requirements of companies ahead of time more than ever before.

 

Q: How prepared is Kelly for the challenges facing recruitment due to COVID-19?

In 2014-2015, Kelly began to develop the Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI), a tool to aid talent decision-makers in various industries. It was developed because we saw a switch in the proposition of talent in Mexico and the world. From 2016 this KGWI evolved into our talent study, TELM (Trends for Labor Landscape in Mexico).

According to our insights from TELM year-over-year trends, workers have become more concerned about career issues surrounding their working lives, not simply the job they do. These non-traditional concerns are part of the well-being of the workforce or talent, including flexibility, personal development and a sound working environment. This is contrasted against the traditional concerns, including factors like an attractive salary and other benefits.

There are multiple generations working in Mexico’s oil and gas market today. The baby boomers are preoccupied with remaining in work, while millennials are more focused on improving their skills. In this sense, the young generations are more likely to sacrifice a benefit like higher salary for an alternative benefit, like the development of their personal skills. A work-life balance is also important to them. In general, Mexico lags behind other countries in developing these nontraditional values. Now, the global pandemic is affecting every company, no matter how big or small, and forcing them to work in a different manner while considering these nontraditional aspects.

Millennials are more likely to search out which companies they want to work in than previous generations. They will look for companies that consider the individual interests and strengths of employees and take into consideration their well-being. Access to cutting-edge technologies and collaborate environments are also important. This is the case regardless of the skill level of the individual.

With this tool, Kelly has attempted to promote these nontraditional workplace considerations. But they come with demands on technology for one, and a change throughout the structure of the business’s management. All companies, moving forward, must consider nontraditional workplace demands if they are to attract the top talent. Kelly itself is pushing forward with the use of technologies to be the company that provides top-tier talent throughout the oil and gas value chain and find the best personnel for our clients. We are carrying out competency tests online, recording video interviews to provide online access for hiring managers and ensuring we know the talent despite the restrictions the pandemic has imposed.

 

Q: How has COVID-19 changed the way oil and gas companies are viewing the abilities of potential employees?

A: COVID-19 has certainly forced organizations to look at business differently. At Kelly, we understand the motors of the economy. These are technology and a collaborative approach. This is vital to confronting problems like that which we are living today. Empowerment of employees and the development of a range of abilities that improve teamwork is also central to this. A resilient mindset is also important. The crisis is an opportunity because it gives employers the chance to develop these skills. It also offers the opening to create, share and receive knowledge that will strengthen the capabilities of work forces.

 

Q: How can PEMEX ensure it remains competitive in attracting the industry’s best talent?

A: Mexico is a country that was at one point very rich in oil. The nationalization and subsequent discoveries of mega-reserves during the country’s golden period meant we were a leading exporter of crude. We focused on developing one main area, extracting oil to fill our exports. But oil and gas is premised on three main abilities: the ability to find oil, the ability to extract that oil, and the ability to sell it. Mexico’s oil and gas talent became world-leading experts in oil extraction and associated requirements, but the other sides of the industry were, to a certain point, neglected. We have the ability to build platforms, for example, but technologies are bought. There is no know-how outside of oil extraction.

Private companies have used their financial capacity to improve the knowledge of their workforce to put at the service of national companies, like PEMEX. There are other state oil companies that have been far more intelligent in understanding that the entire chain of oil production, not simply extraction, is critical for success. PEMEX has developed incredible talent in extraction of oil that possesses both knowledge and experience, but this talent is aging fast and this knowledgeable generation is about to retire. Meanwhile, the newer generations find themselves in a contradiction. The majority of them support the reduction of oil use for environmental benefits and were educated accordingly in renewables and other energy sectors. But this will decrease their professional opportunities and some quality talent has left the country to work elsewhere. When IOCs arrived, they realized there is not a huge amount of talent readily available in the country and that they would have to look elsewhere.

The relationship between private and public oil companies that began to be looked at thoroughly two sexenios (presidencies) ago and then was formalized via the Energy Reform, may be about to change. Mexico is obligated under the terms of the Paris Accord to produce at least 30 percent of its energy from clean sources. Today, we are seeing that the administration will not prioritize clean energies. Talent that had been being developed for the renewable surge now have their futures in doubt. PEMEX and Mexico, it seems, will focus on oil and gas as the driving energy source. Mexico must make sure this talent is not lost. Private and public companies must work together to ensure that the talent in Mexico is sufficiently attracted to the oil and gas industry to play their role in the next boom.

 

Q: What does Kelly see as the main challenges facing the Mexican talent pool and what are the skills that it must develop over the coming years?

A: The government needs to be smart to ensure it does not de-incentivize the industry so that the talent deciding upon their career path now believe that going into oil and gas will be a good option. Mexico’s private and public institutions have developed strong abilities in students. These abilities are based on visionary programs structured toward industries based on natural resources, including energy. Mexico must not lose track of where the global energy industry is moving toward, that is to say renewable energies. If Mexico does not keep in step with the world, the workforce will not be incentivized to stay. Mexico’s baby boomers are a highly-qualified and experienced group within oil and gas but they are focused on extraction. However, we know that extraction is only one piece of the puzzle in energy. The skills around extraction must be built for the entire value chain of oil and gas. Mexico’s has a robust young and bright population, which means we have great potential that must be used. 

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