When the pandemic-ridden nation was declared to go into lockdown, many organizations were faced with the herculean task of organizing work-from-home facilities for their employees. This meant providing the required technology along with around-the-clock security of the gadgets and data, etc.
While some companies struggled to find a stable footing, others managed it pretty well by initiating Covid related initiatives to help employees feel uplifted.
The last year and a half have shown us the Work from Home benefits and challenges that employees and employers have faced together and are still working on.
With the scope of remote work presented in this year and a half, it can be assumed that it can bring about some changes in the job trend for the upcoming years.
Let’s find out how remote job trends can change the job market scenario in the future.
Change in work geography
Prior to the COVID-19 days, the concept of work from home was a distant dream for most companies.
But the lockdown highlighted that remote working culture can allow employees to function without hampering productivity.
As per a survey, 76% of the 4000 participants believed that their productivity was unhampered even in a work from home environment. This was agreed upon and acknowledged by approximately 69% of 1000 employers who took part in the survey.
Even the McKinsey report of 2020, highlighted that some of the large firms like TCS and Infosys have stated that they would like to continue with remote working facilities even after the pandemic.
However, some jobs are not suitable for the work from home culture such as retail, healthcare, etc. Also, evacuating workspaces will lead to the loss of jobs of blue-collar workers.
The McKinsey report further stated that only 5% of the workforce can afford 3-5 days of remote work while an additional 15% could do so for 1 or 2 days a week.
Yet, the companies’ initiatives to ease remote working for their employees indicate that the trend of work from home is here to stay.
Upskilling will be the norm for progression
Work from home brings about a lot of changes and adaptation for both employers and employees. As compared to normal office communications, remote working requires more rigorous communication to keep the respective teams updated.
This has also led to the increase in learning about soft skills to help in effective communication, collaborate effectively, and manage time better in a remote setup.
With remote working becoming the new normal, the only way for employees to progress in their career is by upskilling oneself.
Naukri Survey of September 2020 recorded that almost 50% of 50,000 jobseeker participants have been focusing on improving themselves by upskilling on their domain knowledge.
Remote hiring will become the new norm
Most companies ideally prefer to hire candidates from the same city of the job opening. But with remote work culture, recruiters can broaden their search for applicants with remote interview options.
Now, this calls for extra attention from the jobseekers regarding How to write a resume to get a perfect remote job and remote job interview questions and answers asked by HRs.
Relevant Read: How to Ask for a Remote Internship, How to make a lasting impression in a video interview.
Gig economy will be taking precedence
Another change that remote working can bring about is the rise of the gig economy.
To begin with, let’s understand what is a gig economy?
A gig economy comprises mostly flexible, contractual, or freelance jobs. Within a gig economy, a large number of people (either separately or as a team of a consulting firm) work in a temporary position.
This form of work is comparatively cheaper and more efficient than the traditional model of work culture.
With work from home coming into demand, the rise in the gig economy is a strong possibility.
You can read the Tips to Navigate the Gig Economy Successfully for a better understanding.
To conclude, the SCIKEY study of 2021 highlights that the upcoming workforce will be required to be adaptable and have the knowledge of growing the business.
So, adaptability and having the appropriate business acumen skills is a constant requirement to progress in your career irrespective of which job trend is persistent.
