与许多商业领域一样，人力资源和招聘领域近年来见证了大规模的技术变革。云计算、流程自动化和人工智能等领域的发展对雇主如何运营及管理员工产生了重大影响。

由于其潜在影响公司运作的能力，区块链是经常被挑出来提及的技术。

目前，许多公司还没有亲身体验过区块链，但随着公司和员工越来越熟悉这项技术及其功能，这种情况可能会有所改变。

Like many areas of business, HR and recruitment has witnessed large-scale technological change in recent years, with growth in areas such as cloud computing, process automation and artificial intelligence having a big impact on how employers operate and manage their workforces.

One technology that is often singled out for its potential to influence how companies function is blockchain.

At the moment, many firms are yet to experience blockchain first-hand, but it's possible this could change as organizations and employees become more familiar with the technology and its capabilities.

区块链简介

区块链仍然是一个相对较新的概念，很多人可能甚至不知道它是什么或者它是如何工作的。

该技术于2008年开发，用于数字货币比特币的公共交易分类账。单个区块链本质上是与密码学相连接的不同记录（称为区块）的集合。它们可以用来为两方之间的交易提供一个安全的、可验证的和永久的分类帐。

透明性和抗篡改 —— 未经有权访问区块链的其他方的同意，任何个人不得对区块进行篡改 —— 被视为该技术的两个关键优势。

an introduction to blockchain

Blockchain is still a relatively new concept, to the extent that many people may not even know what it is or how it works.

The technology was developed in 2008 to serve as the public transaction ledger for the digital currency bitcoin. Individual blockchains are essentially collections of distinct records – known as blocks – that are linked with cryptography. They can be used to provide a secure, verifiable and permanent ledger of transactions between two parties.

Transparency and resistance to tampering – with no individual allowed to make changes to a block without the agreement of other parties authorized to access the chain – are seen as two of the key advantages of the technology.

普华永道表示，区块链正在“彻底改变我们在线交换价值的方式 —— 就像互联网本身彻底改变了我们交换信息的方式一样”。

由于发明区块链是为了提供比特币交易的分类账，因此它通常被视为一种金融服务现象。但越来越显而易见的是，该技术有潜力影响许多其他行业和业务，包括人力资源和招聘。

According to PwC, blockchain is "revolutionizing the way we exchange value online – in much the same way as the internet itself revolutionized the way we exchange information".

Since it was invented to provide a ledger for bitcoin transactions, blockchain is often viewed as a financial services phenomenon. But it's becoming increasingly clear that the technology has the potential to impact many industries and business functions, including HR and recruitment.

区块链在工作世界中的具体应用

那些愿意将区块链整合到日常运营中的公司，可能会在未来几年发现使用该系统的方式将越来越广泛。

该技术仍处于相对起步阶段，但随着它的成熟和被更广泛地接受，对企业的潜在应用选择将会扩大。

区块链可以被证明对目前劳动密集型和时间消耗高、需要数据收集和第三方验证的常规流程特别有效。

specific uses of blockchain in the world of work

Companies that are open to integrating blockchain into their day-to-day operations could discover an increasingly broad range of ways to make use of the system in the coming years.

The technology is still in its relative infancy, but as it matures and becomes more widely accepted, the choice of potential applications open to businesses will expand.

Blockchain could prove particularly effective for regular processes that are currently labor intensive and time consuming, with a high need for data collection and third-party verification.

可能的用途包括:

1. 候选人的验证与评估

核实候选人的背景和工作经历是一项繁重的任务。区块链可以提供一个人的教育背景、经验、技能和工作表现的清晰记录，使工作变得更简单。在《Inc》杂志的一篇文章中，数字营销公司Trepoint首席执行Bill Carmody表示，他可以想象未来区块链将经常被用来核实求职者的职业经历。

1. Candidate verification and assessment

Verifying a candidate's background and work history can be an onerous task. Blockchain can make it easier by providing a clear record of an individual's education, experience, skills and workplace performance. In an article for Inc magazine, Bill Carmody, CEO of digital marketing firm Trepoint, said he could imagine a future in which blockchain is regularly used to verify job applicants' career history.

2. 薪酬管理

由于区块链最初是作为金融交易平台开发的，因此该技术可能会发展成为薪酬管理的关键解决方案。如果雇主拥有海外业务，并且经常不得不考虑跨境支付、国际支出和纳税合规问题，那么区块链可能会被证明特别有用。

2. Payroll administration

Since blockchain was first developed as a platform for financial transactions, it follows that the technology could evolve into a key solution for payroll administration. It could prove particularly useful if employers have overseas operations and frequently have to consider cross-border payments, international expenses and tax compliance.

3.合同管理

保持合同的准确和及时更新 —— 无论是长期员工还是临时员工或项目员工 —— 都可能给人力资源部门带来负担。区块链系统可以让企业更方便地管理合同，同时兼顾对所有关联方可见及强大的安全性。

3. Contract management

Keeping contracts accurate and up to date – for permanent members of staff as well as temporary or project-based workers – can place a burden on HR departments. A blockchain system could make it easier for firms to manage contracts in a way that combines visibility for all relevant parties with strong security.

4. 匹配候选人和角色

每个组织都希望确信自己找到了合适的人担任合适的岗位，根据候选人的经验和技能来判断。通过提供对每个人背景的全面的、验证过的记录，区块链技术为企业提供了潜力 —— 能够有效部署或调动员工到他们最能有效发挥的位置。

4. Matching candidates with roles

Every organization wants to feel confident it has the right people in the right roles, based on their experience and skills. By providing a thorough and verified record of each individual's background, blockchain technology offers the potential for businesses to efficiently deploy or move staff to the position in which they would be most effective.

要克服的障碍

区块链是一项新技术。显然，在它成为企业人力资源和招聘的公认组成部分之前，还有许多问题需要回答，许多障碍需要克服。

毕马威(KPMG)最近对英国首席信息官的一项调查显示，只有8%的受访者计划投资区块链技术。人工智能被认为是IT支出中最常见的焦点。

采用区块链技术的一个主要障碍是缺乏对如何将其应用于工作世界的理解。在了解区块链的人当中，许多人认为它与比特币和数字货币市场有着不可分割的联系。

Rank Group集团人力资源总监David Balls告诉《HR》杂志：“我认为太多人害怕比特币思维。人们还不太明白这项技术是如何工作的，以及它如何能带来好处。而且(由于比特币)它在某种程度上具有负面含义，人们没有尽可能地接受它。”

obstacles to overcome

Blockchain is a new technology and it's clear there are a number of questions to answer and hurdles to overcome before it is a well-recognized part of HR and recruitment for businesses.

In a recent KPMG survey of chief information officers in the UK, only eight per cent of respondents had plans to invest in blockchain. Artificial intelligence was identified as the most common focus of IT spending.

One of the key barriers to adoption of the technology is lack of understanding around how it can be applied to the world of work. Among those who are aware of blockchain, many see it as inextricably linked to bitcoin and the digital currency market.

David Balls, group HR director for the Rank Group, told HR magazine: "I think too many people are fearful of that bitcoin mentality. People haven't quite understood how the technology works and how it could benefit them. And as [due to bitcoin] it has negative connotations to some extent, people are not embracing it as much as they could do."

正如任仕达创新基金的例子所表明的那样，适当的财政支持可以帮助新想法和技术发展成为雇主的宝贵资源。

对区块链的投资很可能是其持续增长的关键因素，以及关键业务利益相关者和决策者对该技术的认可和接受。

研究表明，到2024年，全球区块链市场的价值将超过160亿美元，这一领域显然有很大的增长空间。

现在开始接触该技术并开始熟悉它的公司，将在广受区块链影响的未来获得成功。

As examples from the Randstad Innovation Fund have shown, the right financial support can help new ideas and technologies develop into valuable resources for employers.

Investment in blockchain is likely to be a key factor in its ongoing growth, along with recognition and acceptance of the technology from key business stakeholders and decision makers.

With research suggesting the global blockchain market will be worth more than US$16 billion (£12.1 billion) by 2024, it's clear there is major scope for growth in this space.

Firms that engage with the technology now and begin to develop a familiarity with it will be well-placed to succeed in a blockchain-influenced future.