Total Talent, Side Hustles, AI & Jobs, Consulting Evolution

Reporting back from Berlin?

Last week I attended ProcureCon Total Talent in Berlin, joined by industry peers and a couple of hundred leaders from HR and Procurement. It’s clear that while European companies are dealing with challenges unique to that region, there’s considerable commonality with their peers on this side of the pond. Total Talent Management is a divisive phrase that either makes eyes roll, or people sit up and listen. One thing I observed is that this event, unlike any other in the past couple of years that I’ve attended embraced the concept of TTM. It seems achievable, and not so much of a pipedream. Maybe that's the European optimistic mindset coming through. ?

Some highlights from the event for me included listening to Amit Chitanand with Unilever, explaining how they benchmark themselves against peers and other industries. They also have a really nice way to bifurcate program spend by capacity and capability. Nuri Demirci Lopez talked about the journey he and the Microsoft team have taken, culminating in them having a pool of over 1,000 freelancers leveraged across different countries that form their Gig+ ‘product’. As the world seemingly continues to get smaller, borderless talent sourcing was a fascinating topic hosted by Martin Thomas , Amit Chitanand , and Ines Noble from Tapfin. Jan-Willem Weijers provided a great summary of the importance of employer value proposition, and its impact on Alliander’s hiring metrics. Shifting from struggling to fill roles, to increasing applicants by 50% in one year, all through deliberate and creative campaigns to attract new talent. Finally, MBO Partners hosted a workshop for program leaders to benchmark their programs against a maturity model – considering talent channels, workforce planning, risk & compliance, cost management, talent redeployment, and overall talent strategy. We had some great discussion in the room, with everyone taking some lessons learned from their peers back to their programs. ??? ?

Every day I’m hustling ?

1 in 3 Americans have a side hustle according to recent surveys, and of those 19% are making at least $1,000 a month doing so. This isn’t necessarily a surprise given the continued growth of the independent talent community – MBOs State of Independence Report late last year showed that of the 73M people performing gig work, many of those are the younger generations, often adept at balancing different roles, employers, and operating across multiple platforms. What fascinates me though is the type of gig work that exists out there. I recently came across this article about gig workers being paid to stand in line for others. Now it’s a well-known fact that most Brits love to queue – or at least they come across that way. I personally couldn’t think of much worse. If people are willing to pay $20-50/hour for someone to stand in line, this got me looking at some other ‘odd’ gigs out there. Rent-a-friend, professional cuddlers, and freelance mourners were the few that stood out to me. Others though, like professional sleepers and food?tasters seem much more up my alley. Where do I sign up?! ?

AI creating jobs & opportunities ?

The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 highlights the transformative convergence of technological advancements and human potential in reshaping the global workforce. Projections indicate a net increase of 35 million jobs by 2030, emphasizing the need for organizations to adopt sustainable, human-centered strategies. Key recommendations from the report include strategic workforce planning, integrating technology to augment human capabilities, and fostering continuous learning and adaptability. The report underscores that while technology, particularly AI and big data, drives change, the most successful organizations will be those that enhance human potential alongside technological adoption.?

This is one I’ve chatted about before – the widespread perception is that AI is replacing jobs, but when you dig into it, it’s creating a whole sub-economy which needs an entire workforce. Salesforce for example recently announced layoffs, but in their place are hiring a raft of AI-skilled sales professionals. Elsewhere, you can look at Accenture as a trendsetter in workforce trends. They now have approximately 70,000 employees working in data and AI roles. This makes sense when you realize that they booked $1.2B in new business in Q4 from AI opportunities. 20% of BCG’s revenue is AI-related, and McKinsey expects 40% of their revenue to soon be derived from AI work. So, either hiring people who have AI skills, or bringing in people who can consult is a huge growth area that will continue throughout 2025 and beyond. ?? ?

Evolution of the Consulting industry?

The consulting industry is experiencing a significant transformation driven by two major trends highlighted by Matthew Mottola in this great article: the migration of top consultants toward independent work and the rise of flexible talent platforms. Currently, approximately 27.7 million professionals have chosen self-employment over traditional firm roles, leveraging platforms that offer enhanced speed, expertise, and cost efficiency. This shift challenges established consultancies to adapt by rethinking their talent strategies and business models. To remain competitive, firms are exploring partnerships or acquisitions of these platforms, aiming to integrate flexible talent solutions into their operations.?

Almost a year ago, I shared how Consulting is dead – apparently. Of course, it’s not dead, but it’s very much changing. This paradigm shift is not only altering how consulting services are delivered but also redefining the industry's foundational structures. Traditional metrics such as utilization rates and hierarchical advancement are being reevaluated in favor of more agile and responsive models. The integration of flexible talent allows for scalable solutions tailored to client needs, fostering innovation and operational efficiency. As the landscape continues to evolve, the successful fusion of traditional consulting practices with modern flexible talent platforms will likely determine the future leaders in the consulting domain.?