{"id":16094,"date":"2021-08-31T15:03:38","date_gmt":"2021-08-31T15:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T09:26:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T14:26:42","slug":"labor-backlog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog","title":{"rendered":"Why a labor backlog was inevitable, and how a blended workforce can fix it"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2020 forced field service organizations to make a painful choice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As 2020 upended every aspect of daily life, organizations had to choose whether to 1) lay off employees in response to decreased demand or 2) hold on to those employees in an effort to \u201cride out\u201d the pandemic \u2013 thereby absorbing the resulting impact to their bottom line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, as the world continues to make steps toward a full reopening, service leaders are faced with a dilemma. They are ready to pump up capacity and take advantage of an <\/span><a href=\"\/insights\/field-service-recovery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">impending wave of work opportunity<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but are also faced with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www2.staffingindustry.com\/Editorial\/Daily-News\/IT-employment-reaches-new-high-in-June-but-talent-shortage-slows-growth-rate-58486?cookies=disabled\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the same labor shortages<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> currently rippling through every industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This problem has wide-ranging implications.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heightened competition on the supply side of IT services will continue to make sourcing labor difficult. What\u2019s more, the competing factors at the root of this labor problem are poised to induce lasting change in the composition of service delivery workforces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By gaining a better understanding of this challenge, service leaders can get ahead of the game and begin building a blended workforce that positions them advantageously in the new normal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article will cover:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The roots of current labor issues in the service delivery space<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lasting supply-side challenges that service providers can expect<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to address those challenges with a blended workforce<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<a name=\"the-domino-effect\" class=\"fldn-table-of-contents-anchor\"><\/a><h2 id=\"the-domino-effect\"><b>The domino effect<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What we\u2019re currently witnessing is a domino effect:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mass layoffs and furloughs of 2020 hollowed out the workforce, which accelerated trends at the heart of the current labor shortage. This led to increased competition for available labor, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/07\/17\/why-the-biggest-job-wage-boom-is-blue-collar-.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which has driven <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">up the price of labor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This increased level of competition will result in more painful issues on the supply side of the service delivery equation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taken together, it all amounts to increased competition, increased labor costs, and increased capacity issues. Labor, like much of the supply chain, will be on backorder.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>Labor, like much of the supply chain, will be on backorder<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a bitter pill to swallow, and it\u2019s especially painful given the broad set of opportunities currently facing field service. Retail and other industries are on the precipice of a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/industries\/retail\/our-insights\/how-tech-will-revolutionize-retail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">technology-driven transformation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which means that demand for skilled technical labor is spiking just as the labor supply chain is becoming more problematic. Google search analytics show that, at the halfway point of 2021, search volume for \u201cfield service technician\u201d had already passed the total number of 2019 searches.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some field service leaders may be thinking, \u201cI\u2019ll just wait it out. If I weather this storm, the labor market will even out, my labor channels will return to normal, and I can get back to business as usual.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Others may be thinking, \u201cDo I want to rebuild my full-time workforce the same way I always have, or is there now a better way to build a mousetrap?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The latter perspective is the better of the two. Why? Because it takes into account the significant shift in labor trends we\u2019re currently witnessing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fleetowner.com\/operations\/maintenance\/article\/21169624\/tools-to-patch-up-the-technician-shortage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Older generations of workers are opting not to return to the workforce<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and their in-demand skills are not being replaced by younger generations at an equitable rate. This is especially true for trades in field services: a 2020 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/info.servicecouncil.com\/hubfs\/Content_Documents\/2017%20Reports\/TSCRI-W-2017-FSTalent.pdf?t=1499365293971\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Service Council report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found that 70% of service organizations expected a burdensome level of retirement-driven skill loss over the next decade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/1253-01_MKG_TSIA-retiring-workforce.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-15877\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/1253-01_MKG_TSIA-retiring-workforce-1024x630.jpeg\" alt=\"Retiring IT workforce is driving transformation\" width=\"640\" height=\"394\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tsia.com\/webinars\/future-proof-your-field-force-driving-technician-satisfaction-and-retention\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TSIA<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More generally, burnout is causing many to quit, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/06\/09\/4-million-people-quit-their-jobs-in-april-to-find-better-work.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">change careers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or hesitate before reentering the workforce. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/06\/05\/upshot\/jobs-rising-wages.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The dynamic between employers and employees is changing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as worker expectations adjust to our new reality. To put it bluntly, there is no \u201creturning to normal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is, however, a path forward.<\/span><\/p>\n<a name=\"building-for-the-future\" class=\"fldn-table-of-contents-anchor\"><\/a><h2 id=\"building-for-the-future\"><b>Building for the future<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To remain competitive, companies need to rethink the structure of their workforce and transform how they source labor. This means they cannot react to the current labor shortage by leaning entirely on full-time staff or subcontractors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, service providers must build out their labor options and develop a blended workforce that can adapt to both unpredictable demand and lasting changes in the labor supply chain.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>Service providers must build out their labor options and develop a blended workforce<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By <\/span><a href=\"\/insights\/field-service-staffing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">supplementing full-time employees and subcontractors with on-demand labor<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, service leaders can maximize their share of the current industry-wide service opportunity. Instead of spending their energy struggling to find available labor, they can focus on winning work first and then choosing the labor option that best suits the work\u2019s needs. In other words, this is an opportunity for service providers to allow the work to determine the workforce, instead of the other way around.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>This is an opportunity for service providers to allow the work to determine the workforce<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, full-time employees can focus their efforts on high-value work near a service hub, while subcontracted workers can focus on nearby jobs that don\u2019t require a high degree of visibility or management from the primary service provider.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key to the blended workforce is on-demand labor, which allows service providers to take on work that would otherwise fall outside of their geographical or technical niche.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talent platforms like Field Nation allow service providers to vet on-demand technicians thoroughly and efficiently \u2013 applying the same discipline that companies traditionally use to hire W2\u2019s, but in an automated manner. This means service leaders can experience increased confidence in their end-client\u2019s satisfaction while also saving on travel costs. This combination of flexibility, visibility, and cost-effectiveness is what makes the blended workforce a powerful solution to labor supply issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The current labor shortage is not an insurmountable problem, nor is it something that will just go away. Rather, it is a unique opportunity that demands a strategic response from service providers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By embracing the blended workforce model, service leaders can lead the charge in this present moment of opportunity. Even better, they\u2019ll set their businesses up for future success.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As demand for skilled technicians rises, a blended workforce can help field service organizations adapt to changes in the labor supply chain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":16712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"xn-wppe-expiration":[],"xn-wppe-expiration-action":[],"xn-wppe-expiration-prefix":[],"footnotes":""},"content-group":[],"class_list":["post-16094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","fldn_content_category-best-practices","fldn_content_type-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why a labor backlog was inevitable, and how a blended workforce can fix it | Field Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Heightened competition and other factors at the root of today&#039;s labor shortage are poised to induce lasting change in the labor industry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why a labor backlog was inevitable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Heightened competition and other factors at the root of today&#039;s labor shortage are poised to induce lasting change in the labor industry.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Field Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-08-31T15:03:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-11T14:26:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/available-now.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Salmon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"As multiple factors drive up the demand for skilled technicians, field service organizations are faced with the possibility of a labor shortage. Building out a blended workforce can help them adapt to lasting changes in the labor supply chain.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Steve Salmon\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog\",\"name\":\"Why a labor backlog was inevitable, and how a blended workforce can fix it | Field Nation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/available-now.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-31T15:03:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-11T14:26:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4672d7dab071e480078a1d71b44ee0bd\"},\"description\":\"Heightened competition and other factors at the root of today's labor shortage are poised to induce lasting change in the labor industry.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/available-now.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/available-now.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":375},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why a labor backlog was inevitable, and how a blended workforce can fix it\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/\",\"name\":\"Field Nation\",\"description\":\"Get field service work done\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4672d7dab071e480078a1d71b44ee0bd\",\"name\":\"Steve Salmon\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a6217c99e59f458ff00f72e0823332245f176e91e0f919aef19b01f5c429ce3f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a6217c99e59f458ff00f72e0823332245f176e91e0f919aef19b01f5c429ce3f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Steve Salmon\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/author\/steve-salmon\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why a labor backlog was inevitable, and how a blended workforce can fix it | Field Nation","description":"Heightened competition and other factors at the root of today's labor shortage are poised to induce lasting change in the labor industry.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why a labor backlog was inevitable","og_description":"Heightened competition and other factors at the root of today's labor shortage are poised to induce lasting change in the labor industry.","og_url":"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/resources\/labor-backlog","og_site_name":"Field Nation","article_published_time":"2021-08-31T15:03:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-11T14:26:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":375,"url":"https:\/\/fieldnation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/available-now.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Steve Salmon","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"As multiple factors drive up the demand for skilled technicians, field service organizations are faced with the possibility of a labor shortage. 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