Australian Recruitment and Career Trends: 2021
2020 really turned things upside down, in terms of recruitment and career trends. Economic pain and a consistent atmosphere of uncertainty put pressure on employers and their people. Workforce plans were changed, strategic changes were made, and business survival was the new #1 priority.
It made for a very different 2021. And now, as we’re one quarter of the way through our second year of a global pandemic (never thought I’d write those words), Australia’s recruitment and career trends are on a different trajectory.
Here’s the latest:
Flexibility: #1 of all 2021 Career Trends
Remote working is looking to be a permanent option for many companies. Seeing their workforce operate with efficiency and success in 2020 has caused a workplace rethink. The configurations of how this works are many: part-time onsite/offsite, rotations, casual hotdesking. And the commercial realities are looking attractive when the right model fits.
Compliance: Elevated Priority Status
2020 called for multiple policy reforms, given the new working environment. Work-from-home (WFH), remote systems access, a proliferation of digital tools for workers, and a fresh approach to KPI management are just a few examples. The streamlining of regulatory compliance – for the management of both contingent workers and employees – for HR and payroll is a workforce trend under the microscope this year.
Workforce Safety and Wellbeing
Providing a safe workplace is nothing new. But with the explosion of remote working, a fresh approach to worker safety and wellbeing is front and centre. The mental health of workers is critical, where for some, isolation from colleagues may be difficult to adapt to. And ensuring home-based working environments are safe and sustainable in the long-term, is key. Workers also are seeking greater support from their employers, to minimise the risk of infection, and allow for greater bandwidth so workers can provide additional family support, as needed.
Technology: Now a Partner, Not a Tool
Technology is being touted as the new team member. And AI is the leading technology in the evolution of what Deloitte is calling the ‘superteam’: basically, a hybrid of workers and technology, each offering complementary skills, designed to produce outcomes at scale. And fast. Upskilling, reskilling of workers and the dismantling of old structures, will produce results not seen (or anticipated) before.
Work/Life Balance Redesigned
Australia has been at the forefront of the work/life balance spectrum in comparison to other developed nations. And for some time. But after the year that was 2020, of all the career trends we’ve observed, this is one that’s worth noting; especially considering your ability to attract and retain quality employees and contingent workers. Today, the process of how work is designed to operate and flow, factors in key measures that put the worker’s overall ‘life’ as priority. Expect increased autonomy for workers, and their involvement in the forging of work/life policy and boundary setting.
As we make our way into the second quarter of calendar 2021, it’s critical that you stay on top of the changing nature of today’s career trends. If you would like to discuss these, or other career trends with me, please contact us here.
