DATA drawn from an analysis of jobs published online on job boards and corporate career sites in December last year show a year-on-year increase of 24 percent in jobs posted online compared to 2020.
New insights show that when it comes to choosing a job, people are asking not only about “how” they work, but about “where” they work.
Simplify.hr general manager Marc Privett said this week that over and above local and global job stock trends was also the very real reality of new ways of working.
“A report by McKinsey Global Institute reads, “The pandemic accelerated existing trends in remote work, e-commerce, and automation, with up to 25 percent more workers than previously estimated potentially needing to switch occupations.”
The December 2021 stats provided by Simplify.hr indicated a 25 percent increase in comparison to December 2019.
This strongly indicated both a positive upturn of the local job market and potentially new types of jobs and modes of working.
Privett said that Covid-19 had shone a light on the actual physical aspect of work.
“For the first time, it has become not only about ‘how’ we do our work, but also ‘where’! The implications of this are already evident across multiple industries and job types, infusing a more traditional approach with greater flexibility and somewhat altered KPIs and other metrics.”
Industry sectors yielding the greatest job stock growth in comparison to end 2020 included consultancy (56 percent), Science and Research (52 percent), Logistics (43 percent), Human Resources (42 percent), Construction (42 percent), Retail (42 percent), Marketing/ Media (41 percent) and Health (40 percent). He said these stats, with the exception of the leisure and hospitality sectors that were still in decline, were similar to reports coming out of the US. A recent release by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics indicated a similar recovery by end of last year with non-farm employment (goods, construction, and manufacturing) showing an increase of 199 000 in December alone together with a drop in unemployment of 0.3 percent.
This was said to be in contrast to the International Labour Organisation’s World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2021 report, released in January that said, “a return to pre-pandemic performance is likely to remain elusive for much of the world over the coming years.” But that also: “Recovery patterns vary significantly across regions, countries and sectors.”
Privett said that a combination of a slight upward shift in the local job market, coupled with this transformed ‘view’ of work, created for a dynamic environment in South Africa.
“To ensure ongoing growth and success, it is key for organisations and business owners to continue facilitating these work transitions and to keep the new ways of working top of mind when recruiting and retaining talent.”
Christine Janse Van Rensburg, an executive consultant and head of 21st Century People and Talent at Remuneration and HR consultancy, emphasised the importance of job profiles.
“Effective, transparent and fair performance management, career development and succession planning practices can only be achieved if based on the inherent requirements of the job. Job profiling can no longer be seen as a once-off process. It must align with the ongoing changes in business, operational and legislative requirements and consistently inform and integrate the HR processes along the entire Human Capital value chain, ” she said.
Van Rensburg said Covid-19 had changed the playing field.
There are new competencies associated with hybrid working and the digital transformation of organisations.
“These include communication skills, the ability to work independently and to take initiative, the ability to collaborate with remote colleagues, build relationships, empathy, learning agility, digital readiness, flexibility and adaptability to cope with ambiguity to name a few,” she said. Meanwhile, Edelman’s Trust Barometer Special Report, The BeliefDriven Employee, following a survey of thousands of employees and employers in seven markets across the world was released this week.
The research revealed that employees were now the most important stakeholder in a company’s long-term success, surpassing customers and shareholders.
Kgomotso Moalusi, the head of advisory for Employee Engagement at Edelman Africa, noted that the research had an important focus on anxiety levels and burnout experienced by working people due to the pandemic.
“The pandemic has shifted work/ life boundaries, and burnout is now a bottom-line issue – and if it’s not addressed it can result in valuable employees leaving an organisation,” she said.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE