The summer break is almost behind us. Before you know it, the first budget discussions for the year ahead will be on the calendar. In other words, 2027 is starting to take shape. And that raises another question: is your team ready for what’s ahead? What knowledge and experience will you need to achieve your goals? Where do you expect growth? Which roles are changing? And where could gaps emerge if someone leaves?
Now is a good time to start thinking about these questions. The labour market may be easing slightly, yet finding the right professional remains a challenge. In the first quarter of 2026, there were still 91 vacancies for every 100 unemployed people. UWV also classifies the labour market as tight or very tight for 87 of the 93 occupational groups it assessed.
And available doesn’t automatically mean suitable. You need someone with the right knowledge and experience, who fits the role and adds something to the team. Finding that match can easily take more than a few weeks. Among employers struggling to fill vacancies, 64% say that applicants lack the right skills.
If you wait until you actually need the capacity, you’re already behind before the search has even started. Building a strong team starts with looking ahead. Instead of focusing on the vacancy that needs filling today, ask yourself:
Do you have the team you need to achieve your ambitions for 2027?
The choices you make in August, September and Q4 will play a major role in shaping your team next year. These five questions will help you start thinking ahead.
The world keeps changing. Technology develops, laws and regulations evolve, and priorities shift within teams and organisations.
Does your team have the knowledge and skills that will matter in the years ahead? Or is it mainly set up to tackle yesterday’s challenges?
The summer gives many people some distance from their day-to-day work. Am I still in the right place? Do I want to develop further? Does my current role still fit where I want to go?
Use August and September to have these conversations within your team, before the busiest quarter of the year begins. Who is ready for a next step? Which ambitions are still going untapped? And which knowledge and experience do you want to retain?
Looking ahead to 2027 starts with the people already in your team today.
You often realise how dependent you are on someone when they’re absent or leave. Perhaps one senior holds most of the specialist knowledge, a particular expert is extremely difficult to replace, or one colleague consistently carries too much responsibility.
Before Q4, identify where your team is most vulnerable. Which knowledge sits with just one person? Where are you missing a potential successor? And which roles would be difficult to cover if someone left?
This gives you a clear picture of where to focus your attention over the coming months.
When someone leaves or a new project begins, the first step is usually to look at the knowledge and experience needed to fill the position.
Look at the person’s role within the wider team as well. Are you losing someone who gets things done, brings people together or challenges existing ideas? Or are you losing a significant amount of specialist knowledge? Does your team need a similar profile, or could someone different add more value?
Every new colleague changes the balance. Look beyond the CV and ask yourself: who will make my team stronger?
Or, more importantly: who will make this team better?
Look further ahead. You can’t know exactly what 2027 will bring, but you can decide where you want your team to go.
Forget headcount for a moment.
Think about questions such as:
The answers will help determine the choices you make today.
Strong teams don’t happen by chance. They’re built through deliberate choices, long before a vacancy appears. The team you need in 2027 is the team you build today!
Now is the time to act. With secondment we can move quickly and find someone who fits what your team needs. This helps prevent an open position or missing expertise from slowing down your plans.