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Full Speed Ahead: The Tech Revolution Goes into Hyperdrive

Remote work, online ordering, and click and collect are just some of the lasting impacts of the pandemic as every company has now become a digital business. More than 80% of employers have accelerated digitisation in response to COVID-19, and consumers and employees alike now expect tech to make the way they live and work easier.The right blend of tech and talent is now front and centre. Acute skills shortages continue – in logistics, IT, cyber security, software development, data analysis and more – creating new urgency for organisations to upskill their people so they can translate data into insights, make data-driven decisions and combine the best of human and machine learning.The latest ManpowerGroup trend report, The Great Realisation: A Look at the 2022 Labour Landscape, breaks down the key trends that will unfold over the coming months and years and that story wouldn’t be complete without a closer look at the impact of tech acceleration.Trend #1: Human vs. Robot – Hyperconnecting Human StrengthsAs every aspect of life becomes more tech enabled, we must strengthen the connection people have with work and colleagues for improved productivity and creativity. Machine learning and workforce data will enable prediction of potential performance, matching of individuals to ideal opportunities and will help people know themselves better than they ever did. 1 in 3 organisations plan to invest more in AI technology including machine learning over the next year, which will enable people to specialise in human strengths – in empathy and honesty, judgement and creativity, coaching, compassion and more.Trend #2: Closing the Chasm – From Digitisation to Adoption at SpeedAdvanced technologies are increasingly impacting how companies transform business models, enhance customer and employee experiences and become more data-driven. To meet the growing need, 1 in 3 organisations plan to build out internal capabilities in e-commerce and digital trade platforms, big data analytics, cloud computing, cyber security and IoT. But investing in and even deploying technology and innovation is the easy part. Digital-led transformation alone is no differentiator. Human capabilities and having the right culture enterprise-wide to execute are key to tech adoption, speedy ROI and continuous transformation.Trend #3: New Dawn of Sustainable TechOrganisations are responding to calls from a variety of stakeholders-investors, customers, employees, board members, governments, industry regulators and NGOs to act as good global citizens and using technology to reduce emissions, transform supply chains and nudge consumer behaviour. As tech giants compete to be the first to open up the metaverse, the blending of the digital and physical worlds will emerge as one of the most important new trends, creating new opportunities to reimagine hybrid meeting and working with less environmental impact.Trend #4: Using AI to Increase Diversity and Reduce InequitiesAn increase in understanding of neurodiversity means artificial intelligence must have in-built benevolence filter in diverse talent, not filter out the atypical. Organisations will recognise the value of machine learning match and predictive performance so we can help people know themselves better than they know themselves, charting a pathway of employability, equity and increasing prosperity.Despite increased investment in AI technologies across industries, 1 in 5 organisations cannot find enough AI and machine learning specialists for roles that require these skills. The full potential of AI cannot be realised until the right amount of skilled labour comes into the workforce, thus making it imperative for organisations to continue to invest in up- and reskilling in this high growth job and talent demand area.Trend #5: Win-Win = When Wage Gains Are Paid For by ProductivityOrganisations seek to balance higher wages with productivity growth. And policy makers prefer this dynamic because there are no current or latent inflationary pressures as the potential of the economy expands. Technology will unlock producing more with existing inputs or producing the same with fewer inputs.Trend #6: Smart People Analytics Will Enable Data-First DecisionsProviding a seamless and scalable digital experience for employees will require changes in technology infrastructure, management practices and employee and customer engagement models. Workforce and talent data/analytics will be front and centre in leveraging data and analytics to identify match for a role and predict potential performance. 76% of organisations with more than 100 employees rely on assessment tools such as aptitude and personality tests for external hiring. Employers will have even more data to manage and draw insight from as increased employee led data sharing and aggregation from data lakes accelerates.The pandemic has changed the game. But the biggest mistake that business can make is thinking their “return to normal” will be a return to the way things were. Those ways are over. Digitisation means companies can now work faster, and in new, exciting ways that not only help them better compete in the marketplace but also provide their customers with the digital experience they’ve come to expect.Walt Disney once said, “We keep moving forward—opening up new doors and doing new things—because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. We’re always exploring and experimenting.” Be forward thinking and you’ll be able to create a better workplace environment for your people while improving customer experiences, thus ensuring better outcomes for your business.For more information about tech acceleration and other key trends, download ManpowerGroup’s The Great Realisation: Accelerating Trends, Renewed Urgency – A Look at the 2022 Labour Landscape.

Power to the People: Workers Take Centre Stage

What started out of necessity during the pandemic, with people around the world demanding better working conditions, more health and safety protections, increased compensation (especially for essential work under incredibly stressful times), and greater work-life balance, has rapidly become the new normal. Employees in every industry, in every corner of the world are taking their professional lives into their hands in ways that few could have imagined just a few short years ago.ManpowerGroup’s latest report, The Great Realisation: A Look at the 2022 Labour Landscape, finds this year is shaping up to be one of the most transformative years in recent history with workers in line to benefit greatly. Five key trends are driving the employee experience, and employers had better take notice.Trend #1: The Reinvention of Work by Workers – Flexibility, Location and PurposeWhen people thrive at work, everyone benefits. In ManpowerGroup’s recent What Makes Workers Thrive survey of workers around the world, we found competitive pay and workplace flexibility ranking near the top of people’s wish list. The top three most important work flexibility factors were:Ability to choose start and end times (45%)More annual leave days (36%)Having fully flexible workplace options (35%).People in all roles – from the production line to the corporate office – will demand greater flexibility, fair wages and more autonomy as a norm, redefining “essential” for work and for workers. Thus, putting individual choice in reach for the many, not just the few. A heightened focus on a values-driven agenda, empathetic leaders and a culture of trust will become a net positive for attracting and retaining talent and engaging remote teams. People will choose to leave jobs as nearly half (49%) of all workers would move to an organisation for better wellbeing.Trend #2: Mental Fitness Prioritised – Prevention Will Be Better Than the CureWe are all sick of hearing about the pandemic. But the reality is COVID-19 has fundamentally exposed the growing mental health crisis affecting all workers across the labour force. Employee burnout is a growing bottom-line issue – 43% say their employer is not doing well on taking the issue of employee burnout seriously and actively taking steps to prevent it. Our research found 3 in 10 workers want employers to offer more mental health days to combat and prevent burnout.Mental fitness will be increasingly prioritised, expanding traditional health and safety exponentially. A mass movement to break the stigma of silence will require employers to be explicit about their increased duty of care-protecting mental health as well as wealth, employability and wellbeing. Expect growing calls-to-action on burnout prevention as people expect organisations to look at benefits and policies, culture and leadership that helps build resilience and boost mental fitness.Trend #3: The Decoupling of Work and Home ContinuesLike flexibility, hybrid and untethered work models are becoming increasingly in-demand by people intent on retaining the pandemic’s silver lining and reshaping their own new world of work: balancing home and work, valuing flexibility, interaction, collaboration and human connection in a way that works for them. Even people who want to work remotely, 4 in 10, want flexibility to choose the working situation that suits them best. That goes beyond giving someone the opportunity to have a hybrid schedule, but affording them the freedom to build hybrid schedules that fluctuate based on professional and personal needs.Hybrid and/or flex work will depend greatly on role and function as well as on sector. For example, between 51% (finance) and 29% (manufacturing) will work a hybrid mix of remote and onsite. This hybrid paradox will continue while we practice and perfect flexibility that works for all.Trend #4: Culture Matters – The Attraction and Retention Tool That Eats Strategy for Breakfast“What is your company’s culture like?” is a common question candidates ask during the recruitment process. Culture is a key factor not just for new hires, but also for long-term, contingent, freelance and gig employees as well. As companies work to attract more of these workers (many of them remote), culture will be a key factor for both recruitment and retention. Our research reveals that 3 in 4 workers want to feel motivated and passionate about their work, and 7 in 10 believe the work they do is important and want their contributions to be recognised by management.This increased focus on reshaping company culture to build trust, retain remote teams and energise the employee experience will call for an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) that brings a sense of purpose and wellbeing plus empathetic leadership for a digital world. In this era of talent scarcity, the best employers will realise first-hand that without investing in and evolving company culture, they will struggle to execute their strategy and need to prepare to lose talent to companies that will.Trend #5: The Rise of Voice and ActivismPiggybacking with culture is the need for companies, if they haven’t already, to take a stance on important social issues. 2021 saw workers stand up, speak up and walk out across industries. Louder demands for raising wages, flexible working, broader benefits and climate action are being galvanised via social media, with or without trade unions. Employees and customers want to spend their time and money with organisations that act as stakeholders: global citizens, pillars of the community and environmental stewards. The data reveals the rising significance of this trend as 64% of employees want their daily work to help better society and 2 in 3 workers want to work for organisations with similar values to their own.The aforementioned trends are not the be all and end all for the coming future in the labour market. Employees want employers to offer more programmes and initiatives focused on prioritising wellbeing while also providing flexibility, competitive pay, engagement, good working conditions and opportunities for skills development and career advancement. Shared values matter too, especially on socio-economic issues. But if employers do not understand these trends or ignore what workers want, they run the risk of falling far behind.For more information about what workers want and other key trends, download The Great Realisation: A Look at the 2022 Labour Landscape.

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