Background & Scope

To help address the rising cost of talent and increased demand for specific skills, a multinational renewable energy company engaged our services. They needed to understand more about the size of talent pools in specific locations, competition for talent across niche technical skills, early careers and long-term talent pipeline growth along with costs. 

Our Insights and Talent Analytics team delivered a combination of secondary (online) and primary research which provided a comprehensive overview of all the required factors, highlighting strengths and weaknesses for specific locations and providing recommendations.

Our Approach

Our Insights and Talent Analytics Team used a variety of research techniques - telephone, online, sourcing and networking to systematically identify the locations with the highest concentrations of the required talent in the US, based on a detailed understanding of the relevant levels of experience and skill sets our client required. 

We analyzed the talent pool data in the light of the suitability of these locations, including cost of living, our client’s existing footprint and ease of doing business and included the following themes:

• Published salary information per location (macro-level)
• Hub major employers per locations
• Cost of living data per location including property costs
• High-level overview of labor laws and situation per location (e.g. unionized environments)
• Review of relevant inward investments per location
• Macro-level wage inflation data (where available) per location 
• Any available information relating to talent supply (from press or industry publications) per location
• Strength of English language skills per location

Our Solution

Phase 1: Talent Mapping

To complete the Talent Scan our talent mapping service was implemented. Our Talent Mapping service is designed to help you understand the talent market and ultimately hire the best individuals. The talent mapping process identifies profiles of potential talent for your talent acquisition team to contact, engage and take on through the hiring process. For this project, the talent map was created for us to engage with relevant talent to have insightful conversations and collect data.

Phase 2: Talent Insight

Our Talent Insights service gathers up-to-the-minute data from highly relevant talent pools to gain sensitive, confidential market information about hiring, locations, organisation structure, employer brand, reputation, compensation and benefits. Our intelligence adds excellent value to any talent acquisition strategy, but we go beyond just analysing data. We talk to the people within the sector. Informal channels enable us to obtain strategic and unique insights unavailable from other sources.

This two-phase approach provides our clients with important insights, including:

• Detailed current salary data, including recent wage inflation 
• Preferred recruitment channels
• Talent supply vs demand
• Perception of the client and competitors
• Attitudes towards flexible and remote working
• Talent competitor strategies for attraction and retention
• Talent pool motivation and preferences

The Outcome 

Out of 4 potential locations the team identified and recommended Location B which boasts a sustainable talent pool, ideal in size for the "best fit." It benefits from a well-established offshore oil and gas industry, offering vital energy sector experience and outperforming the emerging renewables market on the East Coast.

Below are examples of the detailed insights that can be provided to support better-informed business decisions

Key recommendations

From the insights project, there were key recommendations for the organizations to ensure success when implementing the hub. The organization was encouraged to boost visibility and establish EVP guidelines for this move, focusing on its values, plans and global reach. This is crucial to attract top-tier talent from a pool in which the employer brand has low visibility despite positive sentiment.

The organization's renewables heritage is a significant draw to younger workers in Location B, where a large proportion of talent is in the more traditional – and ultimately declining – oil and gas industry. The study yielded significant results, pinpointing an optimal hub location that aligns with the specific requirements related to the talent pool, cost considerations, and market relevance. Additionally, the research provided valuable insights into flexible working recommendations derived from industry knowledge. Furthermore, the report offers a comprehensive breakdown of salaries by location and role, providing a holistic view of compensation trends in the field.

Insights into the US Green Skills Workforce

Explore the current state of green skills across major US cities with our comprehensive report. Through a detailed analysis of talent supply and demand, we've pinpointed areas with shortages and skills gaps in renewables, environment, and sustainability. Stay informed, make data-driven decisions, and position your company for success in the ever-evolving and crucial landscape of green skills - Download the report here.

Contact our team today to learn more about Armstrong Craven’s range of services, including Talent Sourcing, Talent Insight, Talent Mapping and Talent Pipelining.