If what goes around, comes around, some recruiters may find themselves struggling in the latest battle for cleared talent. Recruiting karma may not be fun, but don’t count it out as a factor when you can’t fulfill some positions. If your time to fill is getting longer by the day, circle back on your job descriptions to see if you can make them any clearer or more engaging. Check your messages in case you are unintentionally ghosting a candidate. Sift back through your rejected pile – did you overlook someone? And when all else fails, maybe you can get creative by recruiting from within. Do you have a candidate already working for you with the right clearance and skills? Promoting from within requires internal coordination, but sometimes, that’s easier to do than find a unicorn.
Layoffs Impacting the Cleared Industry
| Alibaba Group |
China’s tech staff are facing waves of unemployment ahead, due to regulatory crackdowns by the Chinese government. Alibaba is China’s biggest e-commerce company, and according to Reuters, they could be laying off 15% of their staff – or approximately 39,000 employees. Tencent Holdings (WeChat’s owners) also plans for a 15% reduction. Economic struggles and the business environment in China are the two key factors for the massive layoffs. Alibaba’s founder, Jack Ma, brought the wrath of Beijing upon the organization when he publicly criticized the regulatory system. Using his voice translated to a $3.8 billion fine in 2020 and more rules for the Chinese internet sector. |
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Hiring impacting the Cleared Industry
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General Dynamics Information System |
General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) has been awarded the User Facing and Data Center Services (UDS) contract by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). UDS is a single-award indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with a $4.5 billion ceiling and 10-year ordering period.
Under this contract, GDIT will provide hybrid cloud services, including commercial clouds and data center, and innovative IT design, engineering, implementation and operations and sustainment to NGA and its mission partners. The company will advance geospatial intelligence capabilities and support global users by delivering a full range of enterprise services, including application services, high-performance computing, virtual desktop, unified communications, DevOps, Platform as a Service, and mobile secure wireless across multiple networks and agency locations worldwide. The technology implementation will also support the IT infrastructure at NGA’s new campus in St. Louis, Next NGA West. “We are proud of our longstanding partnership with NGA and look forward to this opportunity to continue to leverage our portfolio of innovative technologies and services to advance the geospatial mission,” said Amy Gilliland, GDIT president. GDIT expanded its presence in St. Louis with the opening of its flagship facility at the Cortex in December 2021. The region is a strategic hub for the geospatial community and has been home to NGA and its legacy affiliates for over 70 years. |
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Opportunity to Watch
Viasat and Inmarsat, the U.S. and UK satellite communications groups, have agreed on a package of legally-binding economic undertakings with the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as part of the proposed combination of the two companies. BEIS welcomed the constructive discussions that have taken place with both companies on their future plans. The transaction remains subject to the regulatory processes of the UK.
“We are fully committed to ensuring that our combination with Inmarsat supports the UK’s National Space Strategy with additional investment and job creation,” said Rick Baldridge, president and CEO of Viasat. “I am confident that together we can build upon the UK’s space agenda and help propel the country to the forefront of the global space race. I want to thank the UK Government for their engagement and look forward to a productive relationship for decades to come.”
Rajeev Suri, Inmarsat CEO, added: “With this agreement, the combination of Inmarsat and Viasat will result in more highly-skilled jobs and R&D investment in the UK than Inmarsat could achieve on a standalone basis. This milestone is a great step for the UK and while they certainly have challenged us to put our best foot forward, I am delighted they have accepted our economic Deed of Undertakings.
The Deed provided to the UK Government includes undertakings ranging from three to five years in duration to:
- Expand the number of highly skilled jobs in key areas, including the design and development of satellites, ground stations and other advanced technologies;
- Increase overall R&D spending in the country by 30% and create a UK R&D Centre of Excellence;
- Maintain core satellite, network and cybersecurity operational capabilities in the UK;
- Ensure continued ownership of Inmarsat’s current satellite fleet by a UK company;
- Leverage the UK supply chain, particularly for delivery of national critical infrastructure;
- Preserve the use of the Inmarsat brand with a focus on the maritime segment;
- Create a UK Board of Directors with approval authority over key strategic decisions for Inmarsat Group entities; and
- Establish the global international business headquarters of the combined company in London.
Viasat will also continue with its previously announced plan to invest £300 million in the UK over a 10-15 year period, with a minimum of £75 million within five years after the closing of the transaction.
