Are you winning the war for talent?

It’s common in the government market to hear executives say that people are the most important asset.

After all, most service contractors don’t operate factories or manufacturing lines. There are few physical assets beyond real estate and office equipment.

On more than one occasion, I’ve had executives quip that “our most valuable assets walk out the door every night.”

So there has always been fierce competition for talent. But in recent years, the intensity has increased. For public companies, the question of hiring and retention has become so acute that Wall Street analysts often question CEOs about their strategy and plans in those areas.

At our recent 2019 Outlook event, CACI International CEO Ken Asbury talked about how during the years of sequestration, a lot of good people turned away from the government market.

Now that growth has returned, there is a need for companies to make the government an attractive place to work again, he said.

With that as a backdrop, we’re hosting an event Nov. 30, Inside the Talent Wars: How to Recruit, Retain and Reward the Best Workers in the Market.

We’re going to look at the strategies companies are using to bring in and keep the talent they need to be successful in the market.

The event kicks off with breakfast and networking at 7:30 a.m. and then the program will begin at 8. Everything wraps up before 11. The event will be at Valo Park in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

We have a very strong lineup of speakers including Betty Thompson, chief people officer, at Booz Allen Hamilton. She and I will sit down for a fireside chat to talk culture, diversity and why you need a talent strategy.

We’ll then have three panels. One will look at the onshoring strategy that several companies are pursuing. They are establishing centers in different parts of the country to tap into pools of talent outside of where the government market has traditionally looked.

Another panel will look at the competition for talent and will touch on the impact of Amazon’s HQ2 decision. But also with the realization that Amazon isn’t the only challenge out there in the competition for people.

A third panel will explore how to make your talent strategy count for both your top and bottom lines. This group includes some who will bring in outside perspectives on the market.

I’m particularly happy with the lineup of speakers we have spread across these panels:

• John Mengucci, chief operating officer, CACI International
• Scott McIntyre, CEO, Guidehouse (the former PwC public sector business)
• William LaBar, vice president, CGI Federal
• Tammy Heller, senior vice president and chief human resources officer, Perspecta
• Yogesh Khanna, senior vice president and chief technology officer, General Dynamics IT
• Mehul Sanghani, CEO, Octo Consulting
• Caroline McClure, vice president of talent management, NCI
• Elizabeth El-Nattar, CEO, Tri-Cor Industries
• Joey Cresta, public sector IT analyst, Technology Business Research

Obviously some senior folks with a broad range of perspectives -- large, midsize, small, public and private. They’ll share their viewpoints on the talent wars.

It should be a great event. Click here for more info to register. Don’t miss it.