We all know that things today move faster than ever before, so it’s very challenging to keep up with trends both in and out of the workplace. With a new year upon us, it’s a great opportunity to check in with ourselves and confirm that we’re in sync with how talent is trending, and what specified skills have and will likely emerge. Here are some of the top pools of talent that will be hitting the job market in 2024:
1. Remote Workers: A Post-Pandemic Staple
Working from home has been largely popular ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With workers unable to work in person, many companies began adopting remote work, utilizing applications like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Despite the fact that the spread of the coronavirus is no longer declared a pandemic, some employees can still be found working from home. Around 26% of households in the United States have at least one regular remote worker, as per the 2023 Census Bureau Estimate. There are many benefits to working remotely, both for employers and employees. Firstly, remote work allows more positions to be filled regardless of the employee’s location. Relocating can be a deal breaker for some, and remote work negates this risk. Secondly, the comfort of working from home leads to higher productivity in employees. In 2021, a survey conducted by Jose Barrero of the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology found that 60% of workers interviewed reported that they were more productive working from home as opposed to in the office. As an added bonus, the graduating Class of 2024 will already be familiar with an online work environment, as COVID-19 forced many to adapt to an online system when the pandemic was at its peak. A third reason why remote workers will prove to be a useful talent pool—they use fewer sick days. While this may seem minuscule in theory, it ties in with productivity. In 2023, 55% of students and employees surveyed reported they took at least one sick day within the past 12 months, 31% of which fall under two to five days taken off. This may not pose a threat to smaller companies, but larger businesses suffer greatly from loss of work hours due to sick days. Providing remote jobs cuts down on this loss of working time, and as we all know, time is money.
2. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M.):
STEM education in the United States has been a priority since 2005, the year in which the U.S. National Academies reported that America's proficiency in this field was lesser than other countries. As a result, various campaigns such as President Obama's 2009 campaign Educate to Innovate, were launched in order to advance American proficiency of STEM. Efforts such as this have placed America third amongst the top countries by number of STEM graduates, and thus there is a vast pool of STEM proficient potential employees in the nation. Among the most popular college majors in the United States are business, healthcare, and engineering, which all fall under STEM. The diversity of these majors is perfect for employers, as it essentially covers everything beyond social sciences, humanities, and the arts. Year after year, the amount of STEM certificates and degrees awarded in the United States increases, providing employers with a vast number of potential candidates for a plethora of different roles in the workplace.
3. Artificial intelligence
Though artificial intelligence has, in a way, been around since the 1950’s, recent years have shown an increased interest in the field. Companies utilize artificial intelligence for anything from stock market analysis and predictions to consumer behavior reports. This increase of interest has also opened the door for many more people looking to be involved in the development and use of AI. Companies such as Telus International and Outlier offer well-paying freelance jobs to train their AI models, and so more and more people are becoming familiar with the tool. In turn, it is suspected that the year 2024 will bring with it a tide of AI proficient individuals who are looking to continue work in this specific subject. It certainly seems as though artificial intelligence is the future of many aspects of business (companies such as IBM, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Apple have all adopted artificial intelligence with gusto), and so this blossoming new field of work could be a great place to look in the near future. This includes both high-end and low-end positions, providing a wide range of roles to fill. If you or your company are looking to adopt artificial intelligence, 2024 will certainly be a fantastic time to begin this process.
Again, the modern era moves faster than ever. These are just three of the many rising pools of talent to look out for in the new year. Staying up to date on these trends can give you a leg-up in your hiring process.
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