Covid-19 has impacted workforces around the world over the past few years including the largest migration from office-based work to home working to date. Sectors such as hospitality and retail felt the impact of social distancing measures more than others forcing employers to put staff on the UK Government’s furlough scheme.
The UK’s plan to lessen social distancing measures looms closer with more than 40 million people having received at least one vaccine. Against this backdrop, 65% of employers expect to hire in 2021 according to a survey carried out by Monster – 35% of which plan to replace or backfill staff lost during the pandemic and 30% plan to hire for new positions.
This positive outlook places the healthcare and technology sectors at the top for hiring. Recruiters generally feel confident (over 90%) that they will be able to find the right candidates for roles. However, there are some challenges facing hiring companies including:
- Meeting work-life balance expectations
- Determining work-from-home productivity potential
- Recruiting and managing remotely
- Honesty and accuracy of job descriptions
Employee wellbeing became paramount during the pandemic balancing life and family commitments with working hours. According to a recent survey by Monster, 75% of employees think their organisation’s leaders need to be more empathetic to work-life balance. According to a recent government report, many professionals would prefer not to return to an office environment with 57% of employees saying that the availability of flexible working is important to them. This proportion will grow over time as generation Y (those born between 1980 and 2000) further grow this trend, with 92% identifying flexibility as a top priority when selecting a workplace. On the other side of the coin, others reported dips in productivity and a lack of serendipitous idea sharing as a result of working from home. Employers will need to balance flexible working with potential disruption to workplace culture.
The government report also states that, at the same time, the continued acceleration of digitisation of the UK economy has the potential to disrupt existing business models, but also create completely new markets such as Bioinformatics. Manufacturing is likely to see decentralised production due to technology such as 3D-printing which could lead to employment increases of between 100,000 to 200,000 by 2023. A 2018 World Economic Forum report found that 75 million jobs may be lost to automation, but a further 133 million new roles could be created.
Business leaders will need to adapt to a changing working landscape embedding empathy into their leadership strategy as well as consciously maintaining their own mental health. Hiring managers will also need to implement a long-term hiring strategy that allows for the ability to keep workforces focused whilst using flexibly employed external services to cover shortfalls.
Growth in technology and continuous changes in the world of work means making your skills set adaptable and flexible is fundamental for success in the labour market. Predicting the future of work in the UK is imperative to introduce yourself to the skills required in the years to come, now.
According to a study by Gov.uk on predicting the world of work by 2030, skills individuals should focus on are:
- A flexible mind set in work.
- Keep in touch with relevant labour market developments and include skills and training opportunities as part of contract negotiations with employers.
- Take advantage of new and different approaches to learning, for instance self-directed, bite-sized learning, peer-to-peer learning and technology enabled training opportunities.
- Develop a blend of technical training and collaborative skills.
- Focus on development of key skills such as resilience, adaptability, enterprise, resourcefulness and cognitive skills such as problem solving and crisis management.
Employers are advised to:
- Take leadership and responsibility for the development of skills for business success.
- Encourage innovation and resilience.
- Develop skills to manage talent across global business networks and supply chains.
- Collaborate to develop sustainable career paths for young people in a challenging market.
- Prepare and encourage increasing diversity in the workforce.
The world of work has changed more in the past few months than it has in the past decade. A balance will need to be struck for the future of work in the UK in a post-covid world by reflecting on the past year in order to reinvent future working arrangements to match the long-term needs of the labour market. This growth and change can be seen as a rare opportunity which should not be wasted. VadarMoss can provide consultancy and advice on how to future proof your hiring strategy.
VadarMoss offers consultancy and advice on both future proofing your hiring strategy and your plans for your own career. Get in touch for specialist advice: info@vadarmoss.com.
