With a new decade almost upon us, there are a number of dominant workforce trends for 2020 under discussion across the market. And of all the shifts taking place, the force of a few are tipped to dominate.
From technology to the ‘how’ of working, the continuing constant in the world of work appears to be “change.”
Here, we’ve identified four workforce trends for 2020 that we urge you to get across – each will provide you with a competitive insight and the best opportunity to optimise your workforce in 2020.
More full-time freelancers in the workforce in 2020
Of all the workforce trends for 2020 under discussion right now, this one is perhaps the most prevalent.
There are more than 57 million freelancers working in the US right now. This includes an estimated 3.7 million which added in the past five years alone. By 2020, the expectation is that 43% of workers in the US economy will be freelancers.
And locally, according to recent research commissioned for the Victorian government’s inquiry into the on-demand workforce, 7% of Australians are now working in the gig economy. And they’re accessing work from across more than 100 digital platforms.
The days of cradle-to-grave, nine-to-five working are well and truly behind us as the ‘go-to’ style work for the modern era. Full-time freelancers are the new normal.
Is your business engaging contingent workers to optimise the skills and talent available to you?
Artificial intelligence will continue to explode
Amidst fear-mongering, and actual fear that AI and robots are coming to replace humans in the workforce, there’s also credible analyses of the value AI can offer organisational output.
With strategic application mapped against corporate goals, AI has the capacity to deliver great advantages for your business. These include increased productivity and an enhanced experience of working for all categories of workers.
So instead of a threat to human job loss, smarter companies are looking to AI to build better relationships between humans and machines. And when these two powers integrate, organisations can take on more complex and diversified projects, whilst at the same time, building a more engaged and productive workforce.
Technology plays a key role in the emerging workforce trends of 2020 and the next decade, with AI being the dominant player.
Is your organisation ready for the power available from AI?
Total talent management for agile workforces
As organisations are increasingly reliant upon a mix of workers, in what’s now commonly known as a ‘blended’ workforce, the move to a total talent management solution looks to be the strategy of choice for the next decade.
Being able to have a comprehensive, single-vision take on your entire workforce brings a host of strategic advantages. No longer at the mercy of rogue hiring practices or the economic plight of hidden contingent workers, a total talent management solution keeps the workforce at optimum capacity and output.
Where does your sit organisation on the total talent management spectrum?
The rise of remote workers
In this progressively dynamic era of working, new trends regarding how we work, are on the rise.
And one of the most dominant is the growth in remote working.
With capital city population growth as it stands in Australia, infrastructure is starting to be tested (despite major infrastructure projects underway). Travel time to and from city centres is getting longe, roads are congested, and people are progressively demotivated by the prospect of time wasted on travelling to and from work.
The rise of remote working gives organisations and their people, a level of flexibility for all parties. There’s much to gain from remote working and when managed with care and procedural rigour, remote working can deliver:
- more empowered workers
- a boost to productivity
- the (often elusive) value-add of greater work-life balance.
With a new decade almost here, the world of work continues to surprise the market with change and transformation. In the number of shifts we see from technology to how we work, there’s one thing that stands out – the only constant in today’s workplace is change. Employees need to be prepared as change often happens quickly and is what ultimately drives business growth.
Our latest eBook provides insights into some of the top significant trends we believe will be vital for the workforce in the new decade.
We’ve covered all these workforce trends for 2020 in our latest eBook, which you can download here.
If you can embrace these trends you will have a competitive edge as an organisation and a better experience of ‘work’ for everyone on your team.
Are you ready to embrace and handle change?
