As economies roar back to life, demand for temporary workers has now reached its highest in 23 years, according to a study by KPMG and REC. Supply struggles to keep up with worker shortages across the US and UK in the wake of the pandemic and policy changes in employment and immigration.
With these polarising factors, there has been no better time for hirers of shift-based workforces to challenge their approach to its management.
Beeline’s acquisition of JoinedUp in May made Beeline the only global platform with end-to-end capabilities and functionality for companies to source and manage the full spectrum of the extended workforce. We sat down with Adam Thompson, co-founder of JoinedUp, to share more about what this acquisition means for the industry.
1. You’re certainly no stranger to starting companies in the shift-based, light industrial staffing and recruiting space, with JoinedUp being your third. What do you find most interesting about the start-up experience and this labor segment in particular?
I love the entire entrepreneurial experience. I enjoy the process of uncovering a business problem, using my expertise and skills to create a solution, and putting in the work necessary to make it successful. The early years of starting a company are exciting and rewarding.
In the case of the high-volume recruiting industry, I saw a huge opportunity to help connect businesses with workers in ways that improved efficiency, cost, and experience for everyone involved.
With people costs making up 65-80% of a company’s overhead, it’s important that all agency employees can contribute to the business goals in meaningful ways. With JoinedUp, companies can right-size their internal people costs associated with recruiters by eliminating the mundane administrative tasks that keep them from more strategic, value-added work.
Ultimately, we help create more interesting jobs for agency recruiters in the process. It’s a win-win-win.
2. It’s been nearly three months since Beeline’s acquisition of JoinedUp. What has been the market reaction to the news?
The market reaction has been incredible. Beeline’s technology was already a leader in automating the management of the contingent workforce.
With the acquisition of JoinedUp, businesses can now see a consolidated picture in real-time of all their spending in a single place. What’s so critical is that it eliminates the data silos that exist today, allowing businesses to optimize their extended workforce.
We are seeing a huge wave of interest and opportunities.
3. Can you talk a bit more about the advantages that the acquisition opens up for existing and new clients?
There are some significant challenges that come with managing shift-based, non-permanent workers that other contingent workforce tools just can't adequately address. Beeline recognized this, and through this acquisition, is now the only technology provider that truly enables businesses to source and manage all categories of contingent workers.
From real-time visibility into the process to the automation of complex rate calculations and data reconciliation, this is truly game-changing for end-users, recruiting agencies, and workers themselves.
4. How about staffing agencies and MSPs? How do they benefit from using JoinedUp?
A lack of visibility often results in a lack of trust. By giving everyone involved visibility into real-time data and progress, it creates an experience that breeds better relationships. That same visibility also reduces the friction that comes with finding and managing high-volume contingent labor.
5. What’s next for JoinedUp?
The acquisition has sped up our technology roadmap so we’re able to continue evolving and delivering next-generation features and functionality. It has also enabled a more rapid internationalization to deliver more in more geographies.
Personally, I’m most excited for what’s to come on the data and reporting front, offering up more predictive data to help businesses better forecast and plan for workforce needs.
