While it’s true that the world is entering into a new era of technology, there are still historical lessons we can learn from major transitions in the past. Albeit, the scale and worldwide implications today are much larger and more interconnected than yesteryear. In an effort to explain, let’s discuss the importance of developing recruitment strategies for future worldwide employment trends.
Future Worldwide Employment Trends
In order to develop recruitment strategies, we need to understand the future employment trends. An article found on Tech Crunch, called:“The World Economic Forum On The Future Of Jobs”, written on January 21, 2016 by Roshan Choxi – gives us some insight:
“Of the technological drivers, specific technologies highlighted in the short term (2015 – 2017) are mobile internet, cloud technology, cheaper computing power, and large scale data storage…
On the impact of job creation, the report states: ‘…current trends could lead to a net employment impact of more than 5.1 million jobs lost to disruptive labour market changes over the period 2015-2020, with a total loss of 7.1 million jobs…and a total gain of 2 million jobs…”
The “job families” losing the most jobs are:
- Office and Administration 4.7 million
- Manufacturing and Production 1.6 million
- Construction and Extraction 497k
The “job families” gaining the most jobs are:
- Business and Financial Operations 492k
- Management 416k
- Computer and Mathematical 405k
- Architecture and Engineering 339k
- Sales and Related 303k
The article explains: “The report argues that the world is on the cusp of a ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution.’” This revolution is an extension of the information technology revolution, “…using a combination of hardware, robotics, and massive computing power to expand information technology beyond just software.”
How Employment Trends Affect Recruitment Strategies
Innovation in technology is changing the types of jobs needed in the future. Understanding how technology is evolving and being implemented, gives businesses the ability to plan ahead. Recruitment strategies need to be molded around future employment needs, while balancing present needs and technology.
Recruitment strategies should be developed from an understanding of how technology is affecting the worldwide employment trends. This has global implications, as technology is connecting a global economy, and international recruitment has become a viable method to fill talent shortages. New technologies require new skills and specialties from workers, drawing from obsolete fields or related fields still needed.
Each industry has unique needs and is affected differently by changing technologies; the key is for each business to mold their recruitment strategies around the changes expected in their industry. For many, this means finding management that understands how to interpret and use technology. Automation may streamline many processes, yet managing the: software, hardware, and IoT facilitating the automation, will be increasingly needed in the future.
For instance, office and administration jobs are suffering the biggest loses, because outsourcing these functions remotely (through cloud software services) is much more economical and efficient. Employers should consider retraining these employees with the relevant skills needed in other areas, such as: management, business operations, sales, etc.
International Recruitment Strategies
Finding top talent to fill these growing talent shortages can be done with international recruitment. Businesses that are able to successfully recruit talent from other countries will have a distinct advantage with development and innovation in the future. This is especially true when there are severe talent shortages in certain fields in certain countries.
Businesses should investigate where the talent is located in the world, then develop international recruitment strategies to attract and retain this pool of qualified workers. Hiring remote workers internationally is also an option. Developing international recruitment strategies will help businesses prepare for future technological innovation, which will work to connect the global economy even more.
Conclusion
It’s no surprise that technology is the driving factor in worldwide employment trends, yet seeing the details gives us deeper insight into the future. Developing recruitment strategies around these details will help businesses prepare for the changes before they come. Neglecting these trends will, likely, mean investing in the wrong direction.
Businesses that want to fill talent shortages and stay competitive in their industries should consider tapping into global talent pools through international recruitment. The Network is a leading resource for businesses to use, in order to find talent around the world and facilitate the hiring process. With the upcoming shifts in worldwide employment, businesses that partner with The Network will have a distinct advantage.
The Network Editorial Team