Experts everywhere try to anticipate the next great employment trends. For them, it may be a point of pride. For the rest of us, our livelihood – or the livelihoods of our children or grandchildren – could be a stake. That’s why it is so important to keep an eye on these upcoming trends.
Migration and Immigration
The ability to seek out work wherever it may be is going to continue to be important. While the internet age has made it easier than ever to work remotely, the world is also experiencing a consolidation of industries. Small, local businesses making specialised products are increasingly becoming purchased and consolidated into large, international businesses. That means moving to a hub for a chosen field could be a must. Even industries like finance and banking that exist all over the world may require a move to an industry centre in order to gain advancement into the higher reaches of a chosen career.
People who live in the European Union have the advantage in being able to easily move to whichever region or country is best for their careers. Those who live in other countries might face more challenges. Fortunately, there are typically a number of options for people with specialised skills to immigrate or get a temporary work permit. Programs like the UK’s Tier 2 Visa can make this type of cross-border career move possible for up and coming workers.
Remote Work
Telecommuting has become increasingly popular. Often telecommuting allows workers to work from home a few days a week or even a few weeks a month. Beyond that, there are remote workers who always work from a different location than their company’s office. The trend is to move more toward both of these types of employees. Telecommuting can be a great perk for employees as can remote work. The advantages to companies include being able to attract a great variety of skilled workers and lower overhead costs by reducing the amount of office space companies require. From phone centres located around the world where labour is less expensive to being able to better provide service in different time zones, this trend of remote work can provide a range of benefits to employers.
Alternate Scheduling
After generations of employees working nine to five, employers are seeing the advantage to offering a greater range of work hours to their workers. From 10-hour days to working a few weeks on and then a couple of weeks off, a range of different work schedules may be necessary to meet the changing demands of business.
Technology
Clearly, evolving technologies are going to cause the loss of many jobs in the coming years. Fortunately, technology will provide other opportunities for those who are prepared to take advantage of them. Already many traditional jobs are being performed remotely. The key will be finding careers in software coding or other technical fields that will continue to grow or to be in a field that will continue to require human expertise. This means that either having an advanced technical degree or a specialise expertise in a hands-on field like plumbing will probably be the safest options. Continuing to update skills or even switch professions is likely to remain a growing necessity. Gone are the days of employees being able to rely on working their way up the corporate ladder over an extended career spent at one company. Workers of the future will need to remain more versatile and pro-active in their careers while companies may learn they can’t always take employees for granted.