According to research for Robert Half’s latest Demand for Skilled Talent report, 92 per cent of Canadian hiring managers report difficulty finding skilled talent. With 46 per cent of Canadian employers planning to expand their teams and an additional 49 per cent hiring for vacated positions in 2025, it’s no wonder that more than half – 54 per cent – are adopting a flexible staffing strategy by increasing the number of contract professionals they bring in to support projects.As they continue to navigate a challenging economic and hiring environment, more Canadian employers should consider following suit. There are many benefits to adopting a flexible staffing strategy, not least its impact on retention and existing staff. A 2024 Robert Half survey of more than 765 Canadian professionals found that 42 per cent of workers felt more burned out than a year prior, with 52 per cent citing heavy workloads as the top factor."Burnout is a serious issue that needs to be combatted with ongoing efforts", said David King, Senior Managing Director, Robert Half, Canada and South America. "Though many companies have made strides in supporting employee well-being, it's clear that there is work to be done, and many teams are still stretched thin. This pressure may be exacerbated right now as some businesses are hesitant to bring on new staff, while maintaining their project load."
How does a flexible staffing strategy work?
In short, a flexible staffing strategy involves your business bringing in contract talent for as long as it needs to alleviate staffing and skills gaps and keep high-priority projects on track. This strategy helps ease the burden on your core team. And if your requirements or challenges are ongoing, you can consider engaging contract professionals for full-time roles.Here’s a closer look at five top advantages of bringing in highly skilled contract talent to work alongside your existing team:1. You can optimize costs while maintaining workforce flexibilityWorking with contract professionals provides your organization with the flexibility it needs to turn some of your fixed costs into variable expenses by paying only for the talent you need when your business truly needs it. You can also reduce the high costs associated with hiring and training new staff while reining in overtime expenses.Interested in developing a customized staffing strategy for your team? We can help with that.2. You can respond swiftly to market trends and opportunitiesBy giving you more control over personnel, a flexible staffing strategy provides your organization with an advantage over competitors whose rigid labour structure makes them more vulnerable to economic highs and lows — and less agile to respond quickly to change or disruption.3. You can expose your team to cutting-edge tools and methodologiesA flexible staffing strategy provides your organization with access to a much broader spectrum of skills and experience than one focused on maintaining existing capabilities. If a new initiative requires specialized knowledge or cutting-edge tools that you don’t currently have in-house, you can find project or contract professionals with the expertise you’re looking for and the skills needed to apply it.You might even have the option to bring in the same contract professionals on a recurring basis, such as for cyclical projects, while other initiatives could benefit from a team of outside experts tackling a mission-critical initiative in an innovative way.4. You can increase your organization’s retention of top talentWhen employees see that you’re providing them with relief, it helps boost retention. By alleviating heavy workloads, a flexible staffing strategy can help prevent your team members from burning out, giving them the time they need to step away and recharge.Tapping the talents of contract professionals to assist with day-to-day team responsibilities also allows your core staff to pursue high-priority challenges so that they can stay engaged, motivated and develop skills for their career.5. You can avoid long hiring cycles and regrettable hiresLong hiring cycles can be costly for businesses and hiring managers alike – research for the 2025 Canada Salary Guide From Robert Half found that on average it takes five weeks to staff an open position, while 41 per cent of Canadian hiring managers reported making a regrettable hire during the previous year.Supplementing your staff with contract talent helps your business maintain productivity while you search for permanent hires. You might even find that the contract professionals you’ve engaged are strong candidates for the full-time roles you’re trying to staff. It could be an opportunity for the business to test out what skills they want and need for the future of the team without having to commit budget.
Robert Half Canada can address your talent challenges
A specialized talent solutions firm such as Robert Half Canada can help you look at all your hiring needs from a bigger-picture perspective. We can advise you on the mix of workers your business needs, including contract talent and permanent staff. After assessing your situation, we can then zero in on the most promising candidates and help cut your hiring time from weeks to days — or, in some cases, hours.Robert Half also gives you the gift of time as you continue to navigate today’s challenging Canadian business environment. Our recruiting professionals handle all the details of the hiring process, including interviews, technical skills evaluations and soft skills reviews. They can also help determine if a candidate is likely to thrive in your unique organizational culture.
We can help you implement a flexible staffing strategy, whether your industry is technology, legal, financial, administrative or creative. We allow you to cost-effectively scale your workforce up or down — and back up or down again — to meet the challenges of Canada’s rapidly changing business landscape.Learn more about Robert Half’s flexible staffing solutions today.
