EWI @ InnoTrans 2024
Director, Founder and Infrastructure specialist at EWI - Focused on enforcing the quality and delivery standards for our teams, developing our talent and in addressing the complex needs of our clients.
ON THE RAILS #2 As we prepare for 🚄 InnoTrans 2024 🚄 we take a look at "Impacts on Global Talent" 🚉 The global rail industry has seemed to EWI for some time to be navigating a complex talent landscape marked by both opportunity and challenge. Rapid infrastructure expansion, alongside the development of advanced rail systems, is fuelling an unprecedented demand for skilled professionals in engineering, project management, and digital technologies. However, the industry is grappling with a significant talent shortage 🤼 exacerbated by a shrinking ex-pat workforce and the increasing complexity of modern rail projects. 🚉 A major challenge in addressing this shortage is the difficulty of cross-border talent migration 🎟 . As rail projects scale up globally, countries are increasingly competing for the same pool of skilled professionals. Stricter immigration policies and regulatory barriers make it difficult and more expensive for companies to easily bring in the expertise needed from other countries. 🚉 Compounding this issue is the growing efforts of countries "localizing" their workforces. Governments in regions such as the Middle East, Asia, and Africa are increasingly mandating the use of local labour and prioritizing workforce development initiatives to reduce dependence on foreign talent 🛑 While this policy of localization aims to stimulate local economies and build long-term expertise within the country, it poses a significant challenge for rail construction & engineering companies that rely on highly specialized, internationally sourced skills. This shift can often slow down project execution and increase operational costs. Through its aerial view on talent, EWI has seen a shrinking of the ex-pat industry over the past 10 years with a narrowing of designated foreign specialisms on projects with most mega-projects. Overall this is forcing the rail industry to rethink its talent strategies, emphasizing the importance of local talent pools, investment in recruitment innovation, and visibility/access to specialist skillsets across the globe. To discuss further schedule a slot with us at InnoTrans 2024! 🚄 #innotrans #ewi #rail