The world of work is set to face a fast-paced change. Whether you’re still looking for a job or you’ve been in your position for quite a while, there are trends that are bound to make an impact on how you work. These trends will also help shape opportunities, work structures, and skill demands in the near future.
Familiarizing yourself with these factors will help you understand how they may affect you. Knowing these trends will also help you gear up for tomorrow’s workplace.
Artificial intelligence (A.I.) is on the rise. Machines and programs have allowed the automation of many tasks that were otherwise solely done by humans. This makes A.I a given factor that will continue to affect the way many people and companies work.
Aside from AI, here are the other five factors to watch out for:
1. Demographic trends and changes
Population and age greatly affect workplaces all over the world and depending on where you are right now, you’ll find that birthrate and demographics have different effects.
In the Philippines for instance, more and more millennials join the workforce. For the most part, their inclination toward technology and social media is bound to affect how they work.
Furthermore, many older workers are still in the workforce, pushing themselves until retirement age. This means that there may be at least three generations within the ranks of modern workplaces.
With such a blend of generations, adaptability is highly necessary.
2. The continuing popularity of the gig economy
Work-life balance has been the rage in the past several years. Because of the emergence of outsourcing, a lot of Filipinos have discovered the many benefits of freelancing and remote working. Not to mention, the work setup allows one to avoid having to battle daily traffic, which is particularly worse in business centers.
Furthermore, the gig economy is not only beneficial to workers. It also helps employers tap a bigger talent pool while saving on costs. It may be a win-win for both parties.
3. Digital transformation
Digital transformation is not only affecting the way companies perform business transactions. It also impacts employee expectations.
Nowadays, companies look for tech-savvy candidates and workers. While the younger generation may not have too much difficulty adapting, the older ones are better off stepping up their game in terms of familiarizing themselves with digital tech.
4. More new graduates
Because of the increasing population, there now are more students, many of whom graduate every year. Most of these new graduates naturally look for jobs and this means a lot of things for everyone.
First off, more new graduates mean higher competition for job positions. The new-grads will have to compete with their fellow new-grads and more experienced candidates. Without substantial work experience, each one of them needs to work harder to stand out.
Meanwhile, the experienced candidates compete with new-grads who can be trained and hired for lower salaries.
5. Skills demands
As we continue to ride the digital transformation bus, some skills are now more in-demand than others. Skills related to information technology and computer science continue to drive development. Moreover, soft skills, such as creativity and critical thinking, will always be looked at with high regard.
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Photo by Andrew Wong on Unsplash