It’s timely, during Black History Month, to reflect on the state of the diversifying labour force and the progress made via the work of trade unions, gender equality pioneers, and greater access to information via the Internet.

It used to be that only certain jobs were available for women and people of colour prior to Universal Adult Suffrage in 1944 and the gaining of independence for many African and Caribbean nations in the 1960s and ’70s. Advantages and benefits we now expect as standard were once either inaccessible or rare a few decades ago.

Today, in many cases workers need not even be physically present to be employable, as business process outsourcing (BPO) affords companies the advantage of hiring affordable labour, usually outside their geographical borders, without being responsible for the HR solutions required to manage personnel. Most designer apparel and electronic components for many of the world’s top brands are made via BPOs in developing countries, China and India being prime examples. This means that whereas cultural and political ideologies can take precedence in an office setting, it’s all about logistics and quality when it comes to production and delivery schedules. In that respect, globalisation has somewhat levelled the playing field for established and emerging industries.

Black, White and Grey

So, whereas not so long ago manpower solutions were strictly limited to the traditional interview process to onboard new talent, these days mass recruiting via HR consulting firms is the way to go for large corporations seeking outsourcing solutions. It’s more efficient and cost-effective.

Most positions in the outsourcing sector require verbal proficiency in English language and technological competency. This means that for the average high school or college graduate, getting a foothold in the exciting world of business outsourcing and making it a deliberate career choice is now as attractive as traditional, cookie-cutter “glamour” jobs.

In fact, knowledge process outsourcing — which, as the name suggests, speaks to jobs in specialised and technical areas like law, medicine and engineering — and information technology outsourcing are fast becoming career paths for ambitious young talent seeking diversity and unorthodox challenges. Ethnic orientation and gender play much less of a role for recruiters seeking talent to operate a phone or computer.

The future will see even fewer barriers to global employment as Internet connectivity becomes a reality in even the most remote regions. It will no longer then be about black or white, but the universal grey areas — talent, expertise and experience.

The Next Frontier

Umbrella companies with multiple subsidiaries offer immense opportunities for upward or lateral mobility throughout the company’s network. So even a horizontal shift to a more developed market, or from a developing to a developed country, would be seen as a move in the right direction. With race and gender relations being given focal attention generally and in the workplace, barriers to advancement are becoming more about limits on oneself than the formerly oppressive minority quotas, or the more blatant prejudiced policies linked to historical stereotypes.

These days, anyone from virtually any background can interact with executives and clients in countries they’ve never visited and at levels they previously would not have had access to. Work is quickly becoming the professional battlefield for equity among ethnicities, genders and religions. The real race then will be about who’s best qualified for the position, and less about their physical attributes or orientation.

Until next time, leaders, keep lookin’ up!

Debra Fraser MBA, is CEO of Caribbean HR Solutions, a board member of the BPIAJ, a member of the Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica, and Society of Human Resources Management. Please direct comments to dfraser@caribbeanhrsolutions.com or www.caribbeanhrsolutions.com