Associations are facing a variety of workforce challenges, according to Association Laboratory’s recent “Looking Forward 2017” survey. More than half of the 300-plus respondents attributed their challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified staff to a scarcity of candidates, especially as large numbers of older staffers are retiring.

To meet their workforce needs, associations will have to find new solutions, which could include “adopting nonemployee or strategic contractor relationships and exploring more distributed business models that don’t rely on employees or people within a concentrated geographic area,” says Dean West, president of Association Laboratory. “Instead, using remote workforce technology and cloud-based systems, they can engage people with the necessary skills regardless of their location, broadening their available talent base.”

Factors Contributing to Association Workforce Challenges

Fewer younger workers to replace retirees

The supply of qualified workers is limited

Meeting staff development needs

Providing benefits that attract younger workers

Creating an attractive career path

[This article was originally published in the Associations Now print edition, titled "Workforce Woes."]