Ariba and Fieldglass VMS coming together
Procurement software provider SAP Ariba and contingent workforce vendor management system SAP Fieldglass will no longer operate as separate entities, according to an article in TechTarget. The announcement came at the recent SAP Ariba Live conference in Austin, Texas.
German software firm SAP acquired Fieldglass in 2014. SAP Fieldglass had 5.7 million active external workers in 2018 and more than 131,000 suppliers in more than 220 countries, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Google mandates full benefits for temps
Google will require that its contracted and temporary workers in the US receive full benefits, including comprehensive healthcare, paid parental leave and a $15 minimum wage, The Hill reported. Citing an internal memo from Eileen Naughton, Google’s VP of people operations, The Hill reported Google is giving the “suppliers” — companies that employ the temporary workers and contractors — until January 2020 to institute the minimum wage requirements. However, suppliers have until 2022 to institute comprehensive healthcare benefits.
Suppliers that fail to offer healthcare, minimum wage and paid family leave to their employees by that deadline would no longer “be able to provide talent to Google,” a Google spokeswoman told The Hill.
Meanwhile, the Tech Workers Coalition — which works with existing movements for social justice, workers’ rights, and economic inclusion — praised the news, but criticized the delayed implementation.
“The $15 minimum wage requirement doesn’t come into effect till 2020 and health benefits not till 2022,” the group tweeted. “Changes announced today apply to no one working right now — but workers can’t wait years to pay rent, see doctors and care for their families.”
Human cloud will be biggest industry disruptor
The biggest disruption to the staffing industry over the last decade was the rise of the VMS and MSP models. VMS adoption alone jumped to 79% of large firms in 2019 from just 16% back in 2006.
What’s the next biggest disruption to staffing? It’s the human cloud, said Barry Asin, president of Staffing Industry Analysts, in a Feb. 25 keynote speech at the Executive Forum North America in Austin, Texas. “I think it’s going to change the way the industry runs,” Asin said.
The human cloud includes online staffing firms such as Upwork and Freelancer, crowdsourcing firms such as 99 Designs, and online services such as Uber. Large staffing buyers have been slowly adopting the human cloud, Asin said, citing figures from SIA. Thirteen percent of large buyers used online staffing in 2016 and 2017, and that number inched up to 15% in 2018.
However, the number of large buyers considering the use of online staffing jumped to 53% in 2018 from just 21% in 2017. And the data doesn’t include online staffing work possibly being done at large firms with managers going outside of the contingent workforce program.
Coding boot camp operator sells to ed tech firm in $750 million deal
Trilogy Education, a New York-headquartered firm that works with universities to provide coding boot camps and other IT training, was acquired by 2U Inc. in a $750 million deal. The price includes $400 million in cash and $350 million in 2U common stock. Trilogy’s training includes coding, data analytics, user experience and cybersecurity.
For fiscal year 2019, Trilogy is expected to generate $135 million in revenue, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
2U is an education technology company based in Lanham, Maryland.
Randstad joins chatbot funding round
Recruitment and career advice chatbot maker Wade & Wendy announced it raised $7.6 million in a series A funding round in March. The round was led by Jazz Venture Partners, but had participation from existing investors, including Randstad Innovation Fund, part of staffing giant Randstad nv.
