Managing talent in the mobility era (1) – Building pipelines

In today’s Nigeria, we find ourselves in the middle of a significant trend: Nigerians are on the move. This migration, evident for years, has significantly impacted sectors. Various sources show that people are relocating for diverse reasons, including open borders, the evolving world of work accelerated by the pandemic, changing work styles, career aspirations, and lifestyle changes.

The Nigerian workforce, mirroring its global counterparts, is transforming, with people adapting to changing work styles and technology. This shift not only influences traditional office dynamics but also requires a reevaluation of talent management strategies. Furthermore, with businesses embracing digital transformation, technology and automation have become integral, reshaping job roles, altering the skills in demand, and redefining the very nature of work. See our article on HR Shaping the New Future.

In light of these trends, the importance of building robust talent pipelines becomes evident. This will involve forging institutional alliances and preparing people for the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital age. It would ensure that all parties search deeply for answers to this question: ‘‘How might we plan talent mobility strategies now to prepare our workforce for future challenges and opportunities?’

In this edition, we will focus on building robust talent pipelines as a talent management and mobility strategy. Building talent pipelines involves proactively creating a steady and continuous flow of potential candidates to meet future hiring needs. At every point, this ensures that a company has a steady supply of talent ready to step into positions as they become available. Key elements of building talent pipelines include identifying critical roles, creating candidate personas for the roles, engaging with candidates, and nurturing the relationships over time. It is a strategy that is crucial for succession planning and a company’s agility, allowing it to respond quickly to changing business needs, especially as talent mobility happens.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to build talent pipelines is through graduate and internship programmes, as evidenced all over the world. The best approach is to create and nurture relationships with tertiary or vocational institutions that can ensure a ready supply of talent. However, this approach is not void of challenges. The Nigerian education sector, in particular, faces a significant gap between the skills required by companies and what is currently produced by schools. Also known as the classic talent gap. In the longer term, systemic changes in education should be the overall goal; however, it is a ‘higher-hanging’ fruit.

A lower-hanging fruit, in this case, will involve both companies and educational institutions playing their roles in bridging the gap between academic training and workforce readiness. The focus should be on identifying specific skill gaps to tailor interventions effectively. Addressing these issues is essential for preparing a workforce capable of meeting the evolving demands of the global job market.

The next article on talent mobility strategies will focus on internal strategies to reduce mobility.