Interview with Berivan Duman
from Vikarbranchen
Categorie: Magazine | 26 February 2024
Berivan Duman, Chief Consultant at Vikarbranchen since 2023, discusses her journey to the staffing industry, highlighting her initial work with labour market policies. She emphasizes the staffing industry’s crucial role in the Danish economy, especially in attracting international employees to combat labour shortages. Duman notes the industry’s significant impact across various sectors and its function as a bridge for those entering or re-entering the labour market.
OVERVIEW
Berivan’s journey to leading Vikarbranchen
to leading Vikarbranchen
Berivan, since 2023 you have been Chief Consultant at Vikarbranchen, the largest Danish professional organisation in the staffing industry. What was your personal path into the industry?
My path to Vikarbranchen started in a consultancy where I worked in-depth with a number of key labour market policy challenges. Through this, I saw the great potential in our industry, and I predict that our members will be central to solving current and future labour challenges.
Staffing: Denmark’s economic engine
Denmark’s economic engine
Why does the Danish economy need staffing companies
A lack of employees is a significant barrier to growth for almost half of the companies we represent in DI – Confederation of Danish Industry – both now and in the future. International labour accounts for almost half of the growth we’ve seen in the Danish labour market over the past several years. Our members are experts in attracting international employees to Danmark. That’s why the staffing industry is crucial to the Danish economy.
Staffing’s Impact
Impact
Which professions benefit most from staffing in Denmark?
All professions – but it’s often in the industrial, construction, manufacturing and healthcare sectors that our members help find the right labour. The staffing industry is also an overlooked but important player in helping people on the edge of the labour market. This can include everything from recent graduates looking for their first job to people who have been outside the labour market for a long time. Here, the staffing companies are an effective stepping stone back to or into the labour market.
Policy Priorities for Staffing Strength
for Staffing Strength
What should policymakers do to improve the overall conditions for the staffing industry?
The staffing industry, like the rest of the business world, is facing recruitment challenges. Despite economic downturn forecasts, we predict labor shortages. Therefore, international recruitment is necessary, but the process is characterized by barriers such as requirements for a CPR number, residence as a requirement for a tax card and sometimes long processing times. This undermines Danish competitiveness. Therefore, DI is working on concrete proposals for solutions that can facilitate international recruitment.
Global talent, local growth:
staffing’s future focus
What projects is the staffing industry planning in the near future?
There is a big focus on speaking up for the industry and visualizing the positive role the industry contributes to Danish society. The social bottom line is strong in the industry, but it’s not always visible to the average person. We therefore focus on highlighting our members’ ability to recruit international employees and include those on the margins of the labor market.
Digitalization and AI
and AI
Digitalization is also a long-term task. What opportunities and potential does this create for staffing companies?
Digitalization is essential for efficient matching of temporary workers and companies and can therefore offer optimization opportunities in the staffing industry’s core processes, such as recruitment and screening. This saves time and resources, freeing up capacity for other essential business tasks.
And what role do you think AI will play in staffing in the future?
AI has the potential to revolutionize the temporary staffing industry with advanced matching and reduced turnover. While the relational element – customer, temp and company – is essential, those staffing companies that are able to integrate AI can gain a significant competitive advantage.
Berivan, thank you for the interview
IMAGE SOURCE : Privat ; Pexels.com, Malte Luk
