Recruiting software solutions have almost universally focused on software developers and tech-industry workers. This trend is part of much larger story-arc in enterprise applications. “Deskless workers have so far been neglected by the many recent improvements in enterprise applications” says Joseph Floyd in his article Why 2017 will be the year of the industry cloud. And he’s right. The shortsightedness of Silicon Valley has mostly produced technologies that only apply to the world of Silicon Valley.  A bubble perpetually solving it’s own problems while never looking outward. In recruiting, this has meant solution after solution has been created for bettering ways to hire software developers and “high-skill” desk jobs only.

One reason for this long-standing cycle is that a major prerequisite for creating cloud software solutions is that the users usually need some access to or presence on the internet. Over recent years, much of the world beyond Silicon Valley has come online with smartphones, social profiles, and increased internet savviness. This lays the framework for new recruiting solutions to punch a hole in industries like retail, distribution, manufacturing, healthcare, and agriculture.

Despite being more traditional industries, hiring managers and business leaders still have many of the same problems that you see in tech companies. On the horizon there are a number of new solutions directly aimed at those challenges. Here are just a few:

1. Talent identification - New solutions will be able to identify workers for specific jobs based on social data, location, and employment histories. This data, which has been readily accessible for a portion of the talentpool for some time, is now coming online quickly for more traditional occupations.
2. Referral recruiting - According to PEW research, 68% of U.S. adults had a smartphone in 2016, up from 35% in 2011. With smartphone ownership exploding, new tools will enable workers to pass along new recruitment leads and share new opportunities with their peers.  
3. Candidate engagement - Chatbots and other communication tools will be able to coordinate with leads, ask qualifying questions, and set up interviews via SMS. Companies will also have direct access to the talent pool where they can share content and establish relationships with the right talent.  
4. Employee retainment -  Mobile connection offers the opportunity to have a more engaging relationship from employer to employee as well. Improved communication and feedback systems will allow employers to better understand their workforce and more easily keep their employees happy and motivated.

If I am correct, we are in store for revolutionary changes in the ways the deskless workforce is recruited, hired, and engaged with. A revolution that brings with it gigantic increases in efficiency and effectiveness for both workers and employers.

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