The Human Age Edition 13: The Great Realisation

By
In The Human Age, Workforce Trends
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The trends driving transformation in this new world are not new, but newly urgent.

2022 has the potential to be one of the most transformative years in recent history. As we enter the post-pandemic reality, companies are realising they need to do more to attract and retain skilled, diverse workers and people in turn are looking for more from their employers to thrive at work.

This has led to the emergence of what we’re calling the Great Realisation – where both workers and companies are recognising the need for something new and different.

Demand for talent is at a record high, with our latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey showing +31% of employers are looking to hire but nearly 7 in 10 of them report not being able to find the skills they need. With demand outweighing supply, candidates are firmly in the driving seat, asking for more from their employers – prioritisation of wellbeing, flexibility, competitive pay, purpose and opportunities for skills development.

The tech revolution is having a seismic impact as well, with investment in digitisation accelerating as a result of the pandemic. As more organisations adopt new technologies and push forward with digital transformation initiatives, there’s a renewed urgency for employers to upskill and reskill their workforce for the jobs of the future.

As for DEIB, this has become more important than ever as employees increasingly expect organisations to be transparent around progress, not just pledges. The gender gap needs increased attention too, with 51% of women feeling less optimistic about their career prospects than before the pandemic, and 57% planning to leave their current job within two years.

But companies are making strides towards transformation. The pandemic exposed weaknesses that many businesses may not have even known they had, propelling them to increasingly experiment with new workforce strategies and models to plug the gaps.

In our latest edition of the Human Age newspaper, we explore all the labour market trends contributing to the Great Realisation in detail, as well as some of our own initiatives and solutions for tackling the challenges of today’s world of work.

The Human Age provides practical solutions to transform your business for the post-pandemic world. Explore the paper now: