If 2021 has been a challenging year for talent management, 2022 will be no exception. The recovery of working market, trends in talent management, the implementation of new federal regulations and reforms that could see the light of day next year will maintain a busy work agenda for companies on matters related to the rlabor relations.
Valeria Moy, general director of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO), explained that among the challenges facing the job market by 2022 and that imply an important challenge for the Human Resources areas are the advancement of labor flexibility, the demand for new leadership, the development and attraction of increasingly specialized talent, and mental health care.
“We can no longer ask workers to be on fixed office hours, we have to adapt to work from home, new ways of working remote, hybrid labor market and that is not trivial because it requires technological integration, which not necessarily all companies are ready to do so “, said the specialist during the panel Outlook 2022 organized by the Mexican Association in Human Resources Management (Amedirh).
According to the general director of IMCO, the covid-19 pandemic occurred at a time when the Mexican economy was stagnant and the bill for the labor market was a loss of more than 12 million jobs. The recovery of employment has gone through various potholes and the reactivated positions are not of good quality.
The advance of the labor market towards quality jobs It is one of the challenges that the country faces for the following year, also the incorporation of more women into the economy and the closing of the wage gap.
“Women face worst working conditions than men, very few reach key positions in decision-making and there are more women in the informal sector than men. Mexico is one of the countries in which fewer women participate in economic activity, ”said Valeria Moy.
People who have not yet been able to regain their employment or who have returned to the labor market with a low pay These are issues that directly affect the economy, explained Ángel García-Lascurain, president of the Mexican Institute of Finance Executives (IMEF). “This has impacted the consumption of families, individuals and as the engine of economic recovery going forward.”
In that sense, he affirmed that consumption has not recovered to the levels prior to the impact of the pandemic. “This reflects the number of people who are still unemployed and the drop in the average income of the population.”
The recovery of the labor market and its nuances, as well as its economic repercussions, are issues that companies must consider in 2022. But beyond that, the talent managers they must take into account that the world of work is changing.
“Regardless of whether the GDP falls or the GDP rises, let us have formal and informal ones, because without a doubt it is a reality that the country lives, I think that the people in charge of Human Resources They face a very difficult time. Things are changing, generations are different, young people react very differently, preparation is different, attitudes towards employment are very different, ”said Valeria Moy.
Regulations and legislative activity
Meanwhile, the operation of the new federal regulations on labor matters and the fulfillment of the commitments assumed by Mexico in the framework of the T-MEC are emerging as the issues that will generate a more loaded work agenda next year.
“In the last two years we have realized that labor issues They are not exclusive aspects of the Human Resources or labor relations areas. The incidence, importance and impact of some changes has required that the general management, the areas of operation, and purchases be involved in this. Labor aspects regain an importance throughout the organization ”, said Alfredo Kupfer, partner of the Sánchez Devanny firm.
In this sense, the specialist, who is also a panelist for the Rapid Response Mechanism of the T-MEC for disputes in labor matters between Mexico and Canada, expressed the opinion that the regulatory compliance issues in which companies should pay attention in 2022 are:
- Telecommuting. As mobility restrictions are lifted and people can return to companies, maintaining remote work will no longer be an issue due to force majeure and, therefore, employers must comply with the new rules for the implementation of this modality.
- Teleworking NOM. The following year the teleworking standard will be published, an instrument that will establish the health and safety conditions that must be observed in the home office. This regulation will require companies to adapt to new provisions.
- Outsourcing. The outsourcing reform implied new rules for organizations and complying with them is important because the reform will enter its inspection stage.
- Providers. In line with the reform of outsourcing, companies must make sure that the businesses to which they outsource specialized services are complying with the new rules, since clients are jointly and severally liable for their suppliers’ labor, social security and tax obligations.
- Profit sharing. As part of the legal modifications to the subcontracting scheme, the following year the changes to the PTU calculation model will be applied for the first time.
- minimum salary. Although the proportion of the increase that the minimum wage will have in 2022 is still unknown, specialists and companies predict that it may be between 15 and 20%, in line with the latest adjustments. But it is a fact that the increase must be considered in the plans of some industries.
- New authority. As of this month, the Federal Center for Labor Conciliation and Registration is in charge of the deposits of all collective contracts, union records and internal labor regulations. In this sense, organizations have to adapt to the new procedures of the body.
- Legitimations. In 2022, the legitimation of collective contracts can continue and organizations must take into account that, if the contractual conditions are not legitimized, the collective contract will disappear, but the benefits established in it will be protected in individual contracts.
- Review of collective agreements. In line with the implementation of the 2019 labor reform, the revisions of collective contracts will now be carried out under the free, personal, direct and secret vote of the workers, something that had never been seen and which requires companies to have a model. totally different labor relations.
- External pressures. The participation of foreign unions in union activities and movements in the country is a reality, especially in some sectors, said the specialist. “We must see that as a challenge, it is a reality, even the T-MEC has opened that possibility for this interaction and fusion of efforts throughout the region in collective matters.”
- New leaderships. The world of unionism has new players and they are covering areas that were not unionized before, a panorama that companies should consider for the following year because it will also mark a challenge in labor relations.
- T-MEC Rules. The cherry on the cake in the 2022 labor agenda is represented by the commitments that Mexico assumed within the framework of the T-MEC and the rapid response mechanism to settle possible disputes, especially on issues of denial of labor rights, freedom of association and collective bargaining .
“More than risks, we should see all these issues as opportunities to generate a difference between companies, competitors and set a certain direction for the industries, because we are going to have aspects that will directly affect the personal and professional development of our organizations ”, Alfredo Kupfer pointed out.
On the other hand, the specialist warned that next year legislative activity will continue to modify the labor regulatory framework. “We will have to continue monitoring during 2022 the initiatives that are promoted, because just as in labor matters it seemed that it was practically impossible to touch the legislation a few years ago, now it seems that every year we have updates, modifications and above all adaptations to new realities” .
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx