By Heather Stone, President of
myjobsearch.com
Someone once said- "Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is
suggestive. But what they conceal is vital". The many numbers we watch as
indicators in employment are very much that way. And they have been off the
charts lately.
Unemployment is at 4.1%-- the lowest in over 30 years.
U.S. News and World Report says that 17 million workers quit old jobs to
take new jobs in 1999. That is an increase of over 35% in just five years.
The U.S. Department of Labor says that more than 18 million jobs will be
created by 2006 and that computers will be largely responsible for that
growth.
By 2006, the number of workers ages 45 to 54 will increase more than 50%
while younger workers from the ages of 25 to 34 will decline by 9%.
What do these numbers really mean to the average person? Just where is the
workplace going? What are the most important trends for jobseekers?
Below is a list of growing trends with far-reaching implications for anyone
that has to work for a living. They highlight the need to constantly prepare
for job changes and to keep one foot in the job search pool at all times.
~ Project Based Employment Turns Workers Into E-Lancers ~
"E-lancing" is a new word. It is the marriage of the words "electronic" and
"freelancing". Like so many new terms produced in the information age,
e-lancing has grown beyond it's simple beginning. At first, "e-lancing" was
a term reserved for computer professionals that moved from one high tech
project to the next. Now anyone that uses the Internet to get
work-on-the-side is called an e-lancer.
Contract employment has proven to be a handy tool to employers strapped for
talent. It allows for better use of seasonal budgets and lowers human
resource expenses when only temporary work is needed. Contract employees
love working in this way too-- more than 84% report that they do not care to
be employed any other way, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Internet allows companies to shop projects to a broader base of experts.
It also allows jobseekers with expertise to capitalize on opportunities
otherwise unavailable in their immediate locations.
As companies continue to make decisions based upon earnings and stock
prices, look to e-lancing to expand as an overall trend. Already more than
25 million people earn some sort of income through e-lancing. The U.S.
Department of Labor estimates that nearly 50% of the workforce could be
e-lancing by the year 2005.
What does this mean to jobseekers? Jobseekers are going to have to get use
to frequent job and project changes. It means that jobseekers will be
required to be more connected and adept at connecting. The days of hanging a
shingle are back-- only now it is done online. It means being your own boss
and enjoying a larger degree of independence. It also means needing to know
how to deal with employers-as-customers-- a unique twist on a traditionally
challenging relationship. Most importantly, it will require skills and
disciplines never seen before in the workplace.
~ Loyalty Takes A Backseat To Bigger Compensation ~
The early 1990's trend of downsizing did more than make the bottom line
healthier for corporations. It caused the average worker to cast a wary eye
upon long-term employment commitments. The hot job market has only fueled
the need for many workers to escape connection with any one employer for too
long.
PC Computing reports that the average 32 year-old has held nine jobs. Most
workers can expect to change jobs now every 24 months.
Job-hopping was once thought of as an ill-advised move for most jobseekers.
Multiple employers listed on a resume over relatively short time frames was
not perceived well. These days that is not necessarily the case.
Shorter relationships have proven beneficial for both worker and employer.
Not because it makes life any easier on the worker or employer-- but simply
because economics demands it. Why stay with an employer for a 5% yearly
raise if you can get a 20% increase plus stock options from a competing
employer as a new hire?
As employers struggle to staff in a tight labor market they provide greater
incentives than what current employees receive. And they throw loyalty out
the window with it.
What does this mean to jobseekers? It means that jobseekers must assume a
larger role in managing career progression. Advances in position may not be
awarded so much as they are obtained through a carefully executed strategy
of moving between companies. Jobseekers need to be constantly aware of
industry trends and react appropriately to emerging opportunities. The real
benefit of the information age is not the information itself-- it's what you
do with it.
~ Creative Work Arrangements Grow In Popularity ~
Employers by necessity are becoming more flexible and creative in their work
arrangements. Telecommuting, job sharing and creative work scheduling are
all getting renewed attention.
Two factors motivate employers to be creative beyond the burdens imposed by
a tight labor market-- better productivity and improved employer-to-employee
relations.
Technology in the home is quickly rising to the level of the office,
allowing for seamless continuity in job performance as the lines between
home and work are blurred. Telecommuters with broadband Internet access and
video conferencing capabilities report not only higher rates of job
satisfaction but increased productivity as well.
Additionally, employers look to the work-at-home arrangements as a means of
retaining key employees that clearly have options with competing employers.
The value of a telecommuting arrangement is not measured strictly along the
lines of dollars and cents. It provides a large degree of trust from
employer to employee that is much sought after.
Alternative employment arrangements-- such as job sharing where two
part-time professionals share a single position-- are being explored. For
companies, the costs of having two part-time employees are lower. For
employees, this kind of arrangement allows for greater job flexibility in
working around the demands of home and family.
A December 1999 study by Development Dimension International indicates that
employers are prepared to explore creative employment options. Of the hiring
managers surveyed, over 50% say they plan to significantly change recruiting
and hiring practices in order to acquire the talent that is eluding them in
a surging employment market.
What does this mean to jobseekers? It means that everything is negotiable.
Finding a job you love is all that much more possible if you just ask for
what you want when job offers are extended. Employers look to be more
receptive to methods that would not only retain employees but make them more
productive. They are listening more than ever.
~ New Workplace, New Skills ~
Jobs are changing. What it meant to be in the insurance industry or work as
a teacher or any other kind of professional ten years ago is not what it
means to be the same today. In fact, the one job skill common across all
professional lines is the ability to change and adapt as technology is
further refined in the workplace.
As we enter the next millennium, the most fundamental shift will reflect a
redefinition of training. To better develop people and remain competitive,
organizations are making dramatic changes in the way they develop the
knowledge and skills of their workforce.
Training as something provided for employees will be replaced by learning
that employees initiate themselves. Training as it has been traditionally
known will go away. "Learning" as it is needed will gain in use. Training
for the masses will be replaced by highly customized, just-for-me learning.
This shift is driven by the fact that traditional training has been
ineffective. And companies just cannot afford it anymore. Studies show that
less than 20% of all training is ever taken back to the job. New methods of
building skills in employees will include training that is results-driven.
And employees are going to have to keep up with the results the new
workplace demands.
What does this mean to jobseekers? Know your computer. It holds not only the
key to how your job is done in the years ahead but also how you will learn
new skills for the future. Focus especially upon the Internet. Know how to
get around, make connections and conduct business in an online world that
never sleeps and constantly demands results.
With the work world moving squarely in step with Internet time, it is not
difficult to feel overwhelmed. Jobs are just are easily lost these days as
they are gained. And that means that the job search is never truly over.
The numbers all of these sources throw out at us are staggering. In order to
capitalize on all the opportunity the information age provides the jobseeker
must take action. The best defense is a good offense.
-- Heather Stone is president of
myjobsearch.com, the largest independent career resources directory on the Internet. After receiving her BA from BYU and MBA from the University of Phoenix, she has established herself as a career industry expert through the operation of her own career training company and continual consultation with employers and job seekers on the Internet job search.
