When we examine the global trends emerging in workforce demographics, the news isn’t good. The changes are rapid and their impact is not clearly understood.

In 2000, GeoLabour data showed that across Europe, more people were entering the workforce than are leaving it—despite individual countries that bucked the trend, on the whole, Europe had a sustainable workforce.

Fast forward to today and the trend of reducing workforces has spread out widely across Europe. Central and Eastern Europe remain the only real sectors of positive workforce growth in the region.

Look at the projections for 2020 and the situation is indeed dire. Turkey remains the only significant region with a positively expanding workforce.

This is the unstoppable workforce evolution, and it’s a key driver for HR outsourcing.

No longer just a cost-reduction tool, HR outsourcing has emerged as a core strategy for major companies operating in this new workforce reality. As these demographic changes make it harder and harder to access talent in the global marketplace, one thing is for sure: outsourcing will provide a competitive advantage that will be difficult to beat.

This post is an excerpt from The Need to Find a New Workforce, a white paper series exploring the four forces driving the uptake of HR outsourcing.