Total Talent Acquisition: Can it bridge the Temp/Permanent Divide?

The Role of a Vendor Management System (VMS) in Total Talent Acquisition

A successful Total Talent Acquisition strategy requires the right technology, and this is where a Vendor Management System (VMS) can play a crucial role. A VMS enables centralised management of the contingent workforce, bringing streamlined processes, improved compliance, and greater visibility into all types of workforce engagement. Solutions like Pixid VMS and VectorVMS can play an essential role by providing:

• Enhanced Workforce Visibility and Analytics: TTA relies on complete visibility across both contingent and permanent workforces. A robust VMS like Pixid VMS consolidates workforce data, enabling organisations to track the movement, cost, and performance of contingent workers alongside permanent staff. By combining insights from multiple talent streams, companies can make more informed decisions about workforce planning and respond more proactively to business needs.
• Seamless Integration with other platforms: A Total Talent model works best when contingent and permanent hiring systems are integrated. Pixid VMS can be linked with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and other HR and staffing tools, providing a streamlined experience for hiring managers, suppliers and candidates. This seamless integration supports a cohesive recruitment process that reduces duplication and improves efficiency.
• Compliance and Risk Management: With increasing regulatory demands, compliance is crucial to the success of TTA. Pixid VMS includes advanced compliance management tools that help organisations adhere to worker classifications, onboarding protocols, and local tax requirements, reducing risk and helping organisations adapt to ever-changing regulations.

The Business Case for Total Talent Acquisition

Total Talent Acquisition offers significant strategic advantages for organisations aiming to be more competitive. By consolidating recruitment processes and aligning contingent workforce management with permanent hiring, organisations can access a broader, more versatile talent pool. SIA’s 2023 report highlights several benefits of TTA, including:

• Cost Savings and Efficiency: Centralised workforce management reduces hiring costs and unlocks economies of scale. A VMS like Pixid VMS supports these cost efficiencies by optimising workforce mix, simplifying supplier relationships, and minimising redundant hiring efforts.
• Access to a Diverse Talent Pool: TTA expands an organisation’s reach to include both contingent and permanent workers, ensuring that no talent opportunity is missed. With VMS tools handling contingent workers and ATS platforms supporting permanent recruitment, companies can build comprehensive, searchable talent pools that serve both short- and long-term workforce needs.

Regulatory Challenges and the Role of Compliance in TTA

One of the main challenges of implementing TTA is navigating complex and changing regulations. New rules around worker classification, tax compliance, and contingent staffing in the UK, US, EU and other regions add complexity to contingent workforce management. For example, in the UK, sweeping changes announced in the Employment Rights Bill as well as the new EU Platform Workers Directive and anticipated changes to be introduced by the new US government, could result in an enormously altered landscape for contingent workforce supply and management in many regions, requiring stricter compliance protocols and heightened oversight.

A robust VMS like Pixid’s offers the compliance tools and visibility necessary to meet these requirements, providing essential features for tracking worker classifications, managing onboarding processes, and ensuring tax compliance across jurisdictions. With this support, companies can confidently transition towards TTA while staying compliant with evolving regulatory standards.

Barriers to TTA Adoption and Overcoming Organisational Silos

While the benefits of Total Talent Acquisition are clear, adoption remains low due to barriers such as organisational siloes and lack of consensus. According to SIA, 58% of organisations cite siloes as the main challenge preventing them from fully embracing TTA. Breaking down these barriers requires a unified approach, where procurement and HR teams collaborate to streamline processes and align on shared goals, or where the right technology and expertise can enable a single, unified team to manage the entire workforce supply and management process, either inhouse or in conjunction with an external provider of managed services.

Future Trends in TTA and the Importance of Workforce Agility

The renewed interest in TTA is supported by advancements in sourcing technology and workforce analytics, enabling organisations to establish robust, integrated talent pools. A well-implemented VMS helps build a centralised view of all workforce categories and anticipate talent demands, enhancing workforce agility and strategic planning.
As technology continues to evolve, VMS tools like Pixid VMS and VectorVMS will play a crucial role in enabling Total Talent Acquisition, empowering organisations to respond to talent needs with greater flexibility and efficiency.

Conclusion

Adopting Total Talent Acquisition is about more than meeting immediate hiring needs—it’s a strategic approach to building a responsive, future-ready workforce. With powerful VMS tools like Pixid’s, organisations and their staffing suppliers can better bridge the divide between contingent and permanent recruitment, supporting TTA through centralised data, process integration, and enhanced compliance. As companies face skill shortages, regulatory challenges, and increasing demands for workforce agility, TTA provides a compelling model for unifying talent acquisition and workforce management.

If you would like to hear how Pixid’s range of recruitment technology can help enable you to provide a Total Talent Acquisition solution, please feel free to get in touch and we will be happy to discuss.