Contract warehouse service provider GXO Logistics Inc. plans to expand a “gig worker” hiring plan to additional locations after completing a pilot of a workforce flexibility platform that provides flexible arrangements for more than 1,100 “gig workers” to supplement its workforce at eight GXO warehouses across the U.S.
The move comes as employers through the logistics industry struggle to recruit and retain sufficient workers to staff their DCs and fulfillment centers, thanks in part to the country’s historically low unemployment numbers.
GXO conducted the pilot in partnership with Employbridge, which calls itself the largest industrial staffing company in the U.S. Together they offered enhanced flexibility, enabling GXO to attract a greater breadth of potential employees through an app called EmployGig. For each open job, GXO would post details on dates, hours, type of work, and pay. That job was then instantaneously dispatched by EmployGig to candidates who best matched the requirements, and who could then signal their interest.
At the sites where GXO piloted the program, nearly three-quarters of the participants are women and almost a quarter are stay-at-home parents or primary caregivers for children. Participants include people ages 18 to over 65, with the most—approximately a third—coming from the 25–34 age group.
“Tapping into the gig workforce expands our talent pool and reduces costs for our customers,” Dawn Nixon, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, GXO, said in a release. “For those who place a premium on flexible hours, our program enables us to offer greater flexibility to meet worker needs and helps us easily adjust our headcount as customer volumes change. It also creates unparalleled agility for our operations and new opportunities for our full-time team members to upskill. We look forward to expanding this program to our operations across the U.S.”
