Staff Shortage - Acting the Maggot

Have you ever thought that job vacancies and labour demand could disrupt our daily routines, and even ripple through the whole economy?

In recent years the labour market has been under real strain. Alongside inflation, volatile markets, and ongoing supply-chain and chip pressures, many industries have struggled to fill their teams.

This article brings a bit of hope and motivation around the staff shortages that many industries face, and shines some light on how digital solutions can help overcome them.

Low restrictions, high employment rate, no labour? 📈

After significant turbulence in the labour market during the pandemic, the dust settled into a considerable staff shortage across the globe. In May 2022, in the United States, there were approximately 1.9 job openings for every person looking for one. The US employment rate was near 60%, while in the European Union it reached 73.1%, an all-time high at the time; and still, “Help wanted!”

Source: Eurostat

EPSU (the European Public Service Union) analysed social services across Europe and reported that 85% of European social service providers were facing staff shortages.

The pressure is far from over. Korn Ferry projects that by 2030 the world could face a shortage of more than 85 million unfilled jobs due to a lack of skilled workers, potentially leaving around $8.5 trillion in annual revenues unrealised, with the technology sector among the hardest hit. That long-term outlook makes the case for smarter tools even stronger today.

Transportation and logistics shortages made front-page news too. You didn't need to follow the media closely to feel it: taking a bus, train, or flight often meant delays. Waiting for updates on a flight or lost luggage became a familiar experience as airline staff shortages stretched on.

Still waiting? No worries, we have more for you 👇

Aviation lost nearly 2.3 million jobs globally during the lockdown. Thousands of flights were cancelled daily, according to FlightAware. Fraport, the company that operates facilities across nine countries and the main airport in Frankfurt, aimed to hire 1,000 workers that year but reached only 30% of the target in Q1 2022.

The supply chain and trucking industry faced their own crisis. The industry was short about 80,000 drivers, with turnover around 90%. An estimated 37% of truck drivers had left their jobs since 2021. 🛻 According to the WA Motor Trades Association in Australia, the automotive industry estimated up to 40,000 vacancies, leading some businesses to shut down.

The crisis also hit the United Kingdom's economy. 1.3 million public sector workers from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers went on strike, demanding better pay, better working conditions, and a balanced workload.

Small steps for you, a big step for your staff 👨‍🚀

At first glance, “plenty of open jobs” sounds more like an opportunity than a problem, and in many ways it is, but it has also left countless businesses struggling to fill their teams. So let's focus on the solutions and the opportunities we can draw from the situation. 💪

No matter the industry or profession, every job has its share of boring or repetitive tasks. These can lead to annoyance and disengagement, and they block time people could spend on more attention-intensive work.

One solution is automation, which can boost efficiency and reduce the need for more hands. Note: we're not talking about replacing employees with hardware or software, but about using tech to help your staff achieve better results in less time. 🤝

Because there are huge differences between industries and even individual companies, finding or building the right tools means looking at your current processes and how they could improve. Still, some areas that have benefited from automation include:

Below, we look at a few simple examples of how tech solutions that handle these repetitive tasks made a real impact on specific industries and businesses.

The good, the bad, and the app 🏇

Suppose the transportation sector focused more on automating its work. It could cut manual labour costs, increase staff efficiency, and balance employee workload.

Take Transreport's digital solution for the UK's rail sector, which Wolfpack Digital helped build. They focus on three main issues: improving the passenger journey experience through digital assistance, improving reporting to train operators, and reducing rectification fines with a custom-built SQR system. Their approach was simple and smart, making them one of the most significant contributors to innovation in UK rail transportation.

What makes them so powerful? The digital assistant aims to simplify accessible travel with high-quality service. Thanks to it, they can keep up with high demand, and more people can enjoy a quality journey using just an app, which makes requesting passenger assistance more streamlined for travellers and staff alike. Read more about how technology is making travel more accessible and inclusive.

Rock, paper, healthcare 🚑

Healthcare workers have also struggled to keep up with high demand. Doctors spend too much time on paperwork, which reduces time with patients, and burnout is a daily topic. A study published by Medscape found that doctors spent around 15.6 hours per week on paperwork and administrative tasks in 2021, up from roughly 10 hours per week in 2018.

A long-term and sustainable solution could be a custom management tool with a simple CRM that connects patients with healthcare professionals, reducing stress and admin time. There are short-term solutions too. 👇

A recent example is Bemlo, a marketplace for short-term staffing of nurses and doctors that connects professionals with vacant short-term healthcare positions. See our lessons for building great medical software for more.

Managed by apps, operated by professionals 🧠

AutoProff and an Auto Insurance App used an approach similar to Bemlo in the automotive industry.

AutoProff connects professional traders while reducing the time spent finding the right dealers and cars, making car trading more cost-effective across Europe.

The Auto Insurance App streamlines communication between drivers, clients, and insurance companies, reducing cost and time on repetitive tasks. The cloud-based solution combines management, quotes, accounting, and payments in one platform.

Conclusions 📚

The situation didn't happen overnight. Like other global crises, we contributed to it individually and collectively. Let's use this moment to pause, reflect, and shape a better future.

A sustainable, long-term response to staff shortages is a bundle of calm, simple approaches that ease your staff's daily workload. Each small step toward digitalisation is already an achievement, with benefits that show up both short and long term.

What's your plan to address your company's challenges? Check out the digital solutions we've built to help our partners reach their goals, and if you'd like to get in touch, send us a message. Until next time! 👐