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As the Aug. 1 deadline for the Trump administration’s trade deals approaches, many global HR leaders are reassessing whether their contingent workforce can withstand potential tariff shocks. To stay agile, HR leaders can use technology to support quick sourcing shifts if trade ties weaken, according to one expert.
For HR, this deadline isn’t just about trade policy—how an organization manages it will reflect the resilience of its global workforce strategy. And uncertainty around contingent workforce durability will affect many HR leaders; data from MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte shows that 93% of global managers consider both internal and external workers essential to their operations.
There’s growing evidence that more organizations are adjusting their workforce models—both in response to current shifts and in preparation for future disruption. According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Human Capital Trends report, “Many organizations have shifted to leaner, flatter structures with fewer managers and more contingent workers.”
This raises a critical question: Are the organization’s contractors clustered in regions that could become economically isolated or too costly overnight due to trade changes?
Divergent responses to tariff uncertainty
Global companies are responding to this uncertainty in different ways. Many have adopted a wait-and-see approach that may be
