The Future of Work: Will Jobs Exist in 2050?

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Technological breakthroughs and shifting cultural attitudes towards work mean that these are turbulent yet exciting times for the world of recruitment.

As we find ourselves amidst a sea of change and on the cusp of recruitment 4.0, now is the ideal time to take stock of where we are and try to see where we might be going. This type of exercise can help us all to steady the ship and prepare for the future of work.

What Work Will Look Like in 2050

By now, we’ll all have seen several studies that suggest automation could upend many industries and result in mass unemployment. Those studies offer conflicting numbers, though, and we’ll only see the full impact of automation as it makes itself known.

Whatever the extent of the disruption, we can be confident that jobs will indeed exist in 2050. But what will the labour landscape look like by then?

Together, let’s imagine what the world of work might look like in 2050. We’ll wade through some trends and try to grab some of the highlights. Here are some of the key trends that might define the world of work in 2050:

1. Workers will be selected mainly for their decision-making skills

As automation takes hold and manual labour positions are displaced over the coming years, we’ll see countless businesses scramble to find talented decision-makers.

Those professionals will have the necessary tools and abilities to leverage great sets of data to make critical decisions for those high-tech businesses. The skills and techniques of those professionals will empower them to guide enterprises through new territory with confidence.

Wayne Stottler of Kepner-Tregoe suggests that in the future, the skills and techniques of those specialists will need to be replicated across the broader workforce. This will help businesses to solve several unique and diverse business problems better.

2. Team members will adopt multiple roles

Bernard Marr suggests in his Forbes piece that as we move closer to 2050, we’ll see positions become more fluid within organisations. Strict organisational charts will disappear as project-based teams take the spotlight.

This more fluid structure will help businesses to morph and quickly respond to new challenges that emerge over the coming years.

As the concept of a “job for life” continues to recede into the past, Marr expects that we’ll more frequently see professionals work with a host of businesses as a contractor or freelancer before moving onto another role.

3. Unforeseen jobs and opportunities will emerge

A couple of decades ago, it would have been hard to predict the recent exponential rise of small, labour-intensive services. This yearning for small products and experiences that deliver a personal touch mainly came about as a response to mass production.

Interestingly, this piece by Timothy B. Lee over at Cox explores how automation is making human labour itself a mark of luxury. There’s a good chance that as automation continues to take hold, we’ll see novel trends and professions emerge as a result.

New opportunities will also emerge in light of automation. We can expect for robotics engineers and technicians to be in high demand in the coming years, for instance. Mechatronics – the intersection of electrics, mechanics and computerisation – is an exciting field that is projected to experience serious growth.

4. The volume of manual jobs will waver

As automation takes hold, we can expect several manual roles to be replaced. In its future of work in manufacturing report, Deloitte outlines a number of ways that those roles might be restructured or adjusted as we move forward.

Back in 2016, Dan Collier, Director Of Sales Strategy at Elevate, outlined his thoughts about the future of labour in a roundtable discussion hosted by The Guardian about the future of work.

In the discussion, Dan explained that not everybody could be a “knowledge worker”. This means that there will inevitably be lots of unemployment and a “division between the few jobs that need humans, and those that can be automated.”

The future of work and the displacement of workers is currently a pivotal challenge that we all face. Over in the United States, Andrew Yang is bringing attention to this challenge with his “Freedom Dividend” policy. This universal basic income would aim to provide a foundation to protect against mass unemployment.

5. Corporate alumni networks will become a precious resource

“Job-hopping” used to be perceived negatively by some employers, but it’s now becoming the default for many workers. As automation takes hold and businesses employ project-based teams, we can expect this trend to continue.

With workers dipping in and out of different companies, we predict that many businesses will develop robust corporate alumni networks. Those networks will become a valuable resource for companies that will have to rehire outstanding performers with specific skills.

If you want to learn more about corporate alumni networks, we’ve put together these resources for you:

Prepare for the Future with Elevate Direct

As the nature of work continues to evolve, the recruitment industry will need to adjust in parallel. There are exciting times ahead that will undoubtedly be filled with unique challenges and opportunities for forward-thinking recruitment professionals.

Ready to prepare yourself for whatever comes? Be sure to learn more about Elevate and how our AI-powered talent intelligence can help you keep pace with a shifting recruitment landscape.

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Four Actionable Techniques to Maintain a Healthy Talent Pool

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According to Glassdoor research, the average length of the UK hiring process sits at 27.9 days. This significant amount of time can harm the productivity of your business and hinder its ability to move forward.

There’s an ocean of potential talent out there, but the challenge of recruitment is fishing for the appropriate candidates and keeping tabs on them.

This is why talent pools are an invaluable resource.

In this post, we’ll take a look at what talent pools are and four actionable techniques that you can use to maintain a healthy talent pool.

What Is a Talent Pool?

A talent pool is a database of candidate profiles. This database gives recruiters and hiring managers the ability to keep track of crucial candidates over the long-term and access potential candidates instantly.

The most effective hiring managers and recruiters will diligently maintain those talent pools to add and remove candidates as necessary. They’ll also draw on candidates form their talent pool regularly.

For added convenience, the majority of hiring managers will maintain distinct talent pools which can further segment groups of candidates according to factors like their level of experience and overall suitability.

What Are the Benefits of a Talent Pool?

Here are the key reasons to create and maintain talent pools::

Better candidates

Any recruiter or hiring professional will understand how challenging it can be to find high-quality candidates for their roles. 76% of hiring managers told Glassdoor that attracting quality candidates is their number one challenge.

Talent pools can give you the edge. With a robust talent pool in your hands, you’ll find it easier to sort through pre-qualified candidates and have access to proven talent quicker.

Faster hires

When it comes to hiring candidates, it’s critical that you find the appropriate talent within a reasonable timeframe. Each day that you have a vacant position will result in losses for your business.

Talent pools can expedite the time to hire. You’ll be able to quickly browse through pre-qualified candidates as and when you need to. You might find the perfect candidate in your talent pool.

Reduced hiring costs

Making a new hire in the UK is expensive. On average, businesses can expect to pay around 20-30% of the final salary to recruitment agencies. This can harm the profitability of your business, and those costs can seriously mount up if you make multiple hires.

Equipped with a talent pool that’s overflowing with quality candidates, you’ll be able to make your selection and circumvent many of the traditional costs that come with recruitment.

Four Actionable Tips to Maintain a Healthy Talent Pool

Now that we have a better understanding of why to maintain a talent pool let’s explore five essential tips that you can use to establish and leverage your own.

1. Divide Your Talent Pools Using Candidate Personas

Candidate personas are a handy tool used by recruiters and hiring managers. Those semi-fictional personas make it easier to guide the hiring process and stay focused on finding the right talent.

Those candidate personas can also provide you with a logical and organic way to segment your talent pool. This exercise can make your talent pool even more convenient to navigate, and you’ll have the right talent just a few clicks away.

The details of this tip will vary from one business to the next, according to how you created your talent pool. For a rudimentary solution, you could divide an excel spreadsheet into tabs according to your key profiles.

Here’s a look at how that might appear:

2. Keep Track of Your Alumni

To get the best results from your talent pool, you should be sure to keep track of your alumni. There’s always a chance that your previous employees might be available to rejoin your business.

There are clear benefits to rehiring alumni: they will slot right into your company culture, for instance, and rehiring alumni can have a very positive impact on your employer brand.

To keep track of your alumni, you should be sure to keep their contact details on record and maintain regular contact with them. You might even decide to send a monthly newsletter to those alumni – this could keep them updated and help them to feel like a part of the family.

Interested in what this might look like? Take a look at this Alumni Newsletter example from Deloitte. You can see the type of content and tone that they use to re-engage their corporate alumni.

Ready to take a look at the additional benefits that come with a strong alumni talent pool? Read our piece on the six reasons you should develop an alumni talent pool.

3. Don’t Forget to Track Unsuccessful Candidates

According to numbers from Forbes, the average job will attract a staggering 118 applications. While you might need to hire just a single person for the role, you could have invited some very intriguing candidates.

It’s vital that you keep hold of them and retain their details. We all know that plans change quickly within the world of business and that it’s always useful to have a backup plan.

Re-engaging unsuccessful candidates is also great for your employer brand. Lots of hiring managers tell unsuccessful candidates that their contact information will be retained on record, but they fail to follow up. If you contact an unsuccessful candidate in the future, they’ll be sure to appreciate the gesture.

4. Use Your Talent Pool Regularly

The best way to maintain a healthy talent pool is to use it regularly. Far too often, hiring managers and recruiters neglect their talent pool and fail to exploit its full potential.

A lack of activity could mean that your talent pool becomes rusty and outdated very quickly. The longer you neglect, the greater the temptation will be to ignore it when trying to find a new candidate.

Try to incorporate your talent pool into your recruitment workflow to get the maximum value from it. Make it your first port of call after identifying a new position, and you might find the perfect candidate.

Cultivate Powerful Talent Pools with Elevate

If you are ready to create and maintain AI-driven talent pools, do so with Elevate’s leading Talent Intelligence platform today. Our solution provides you immediate visibility into your private talent pools while granting you access to the exclusive Elevate Directmarket.

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Why building a Corporate Alumni Network Makes Sense.

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There’s plenty of talk around how rehiring boomerang employees can benefit an organisation, but few companies have yet to take advantage. One of the easiest and most effective ways to keep in touch with ex-staff members is to establish an alumni talent network.

The Importance of Alumni

If you’re considering rehiring an alumnus, you know off the bat that they’re a good cultural fit, they know the company policies and processes. They’re comfortable with products and services. But alumni bring much more than that.

They can make quality referrals

Because alumni know the organisation, they can refer candidates with the right skills and who will fit in. Also, as the candidates understand the alumni successfully worked for the company, they’ll be more likely to accept an interview invitation. Alumni can boost your talent pool.

They can refer new business

As they move on in their career, alumni become exposed to different industries and markets, and they can recommend you with confidence. Again, knowing that they will have referred by someone who can vouch for a company, buyers are more likely to support the business. Alumni add credibility to business referrals.

Employers have still not Found their Feet.

Most alumni networks are on social network platforms like Facebook, Google and LinkedIn.  Corporate alumni programs are few and far between.

A 2014 study by the University of Twente in the Netherlands found that only 15% of companies surveyed had a formal alumni network, while 67% had informal alumni networks established by employees. What that indicates is that those past employees are keen to keep in touch with their previous employers; however, employers have yet to catch on and make an effort.

Establishing an Alumni Talent Network is Easier than you Think

It begins long before an employee resigns. Making employees feel valued, focusing on engagement and having an offboarding policy in place are where it all starts.

Employees who feel valued even after they’ve resigned will stay loyal to an organisation. During offboarding top talent must be asked if they’d like to join the alumni network. The bond of mutual trust has already been established, and it’s up to the employer to keep it alive.

Setting up a group on social media doesn’t take much time, but it does take time to maintain and keep the group engaged, providing open vacancies, company news and new developments; much like an ongoing company newsletter. You also have to take into consideration any comments, questions or enquiries from alumni must be addressed.

Add Benefits and Incentives

There are plenty of ways that you can keep your alumni network engaged.

Incentivise candidate referrals just as you do your employee referrals program. Offer a reward for every successful placement. You can offer cash rewards, discount vouchers, paid holiday trips or tickets to top events. Receiving recognition can make alumni feel that they’re still part of the organisation.

Free webinars and online training programs for skills improvement is another option. For a small investment, you not only upskill people but if you do employ them again, you get a better-qualified employee. 

Another assurance is that people who continually upgrade their skills are top talent.

You can also connect with alumni through social or industry events. This way, you keep them directly involved, and they can mix with past colleagues and new hires. 

Conclusion

An alumni talent network reinforces your employment brand in a multitude of ways. As alumni work as brand ambassadors, your organisation will gain a market reputation as an employer that cares for its employees. You will earn an employer of choice status, and top candidates will start approaching you for jobs.

Imagine the savings on the cost of hire and time to fill, as well as added income from new business. Can your company afford not to establish an alumni talent network?

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