The Growth Curve Blog
Expert insights on the staffing industry, MSP programs, and elevating women leaders!
When contingent labor programs struggle, the first instinct is almost always the same. We need better suppliers.We need to manage them more closely.We need tighter controls.We need stronger enforcement. In other words, the assumption is that the problem lives with the suppliers. Most of the time, it doesn’t. Supplier Behavior Is a Lagging Indicator Here […]
Let’s start with a simple truth. When people talk about contingent labor programs in the US, they usually talk in labels. Vendor neutral. Master vendor. MSP. VOP. Hybrid. In practice, none of those labels tell you much about how the program actually works. They mostly tell you what someone wanted it to sound like in […]
Strong suppliers do not fail loudly. This is the part that gets misunderstood. The best suppliers are usually rational, experienced, and busy. When a system stops rewarding effort, they do not protest. They adapt. They stop chasing every requisition.They stop pushing hard-to-fill roles.They stop escalating creatively.They stop investing senior time where the return is unclear. […]
The staffing industry has been… weird lately. Demand isn’t what it was.Clients are skittish.And volume through MSP programs? All over the place. You’re not alone if you’re looking at your MSP business and wondering, “What are we even doing here?” It’s a fair question—because MSPs can be high-effort, low-feedback channels. And when req flow slows […]
You joined the MSP program with big expectations—steady volume, streamlined processes, a foot in the door with a major client. But now? It feels more like a black hole than a growth channel. Job orders come in… but they don’t come to you. You’re bending over backwards for SLAs but barely getting feedback. And every […]
Contingent labor programs that treat suppliers as untrustworthy enemies ultimately fail. Where suppliers are engaged as a valuable extension of the program, ALL the good things can happen. We’ve all seen them—old school, “no hiring manager contact” contingent labor programs. Suppliers scramble to upload candidates into a vendor management system (VMS) job order to hit […]
Introduction In the complex and ever-evolving world of Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and the programs they manage, many staffing firms find themselves merely surviving, struggling with common industry challenges such as fierce competition, slim margins, and high client expectations. However, it’s possible to transition from merely keeping the lights on to achieving significant growth and […]
Introduction Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can play a pivotal role in driving growth, offering firms the leverage to streamline their recruitment processes and enhance workforce management. However, partnerships between staffing firms and MSPs aren’t without their hurdles. These collaborations often face challenges such as misaligned communication strategies, complex compliance requirements, and cultural discrepancies, all of […]
