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10 Employment Trends for '10
January 12, 2010
Last year wasn't the best for adding new hires to your company. Will 2010 be similar in your executives' hesitancy to allow your workgroups, and customers, to benefit from extra help? Any other strategies for boosting employee productivity they may surprise you with? Here are 10 trends in workforce management CareerBuilder discovered in its 2010 Job Forecast survey:
1. Replacing lower-performing employees: Employers are taking advantage of the large amount of top talent in the current labor pool to strengthen their workforce. Thirty-seven percent of employers say they plan to replace lower-performing employees with higher-performers in 2010. When asked to grade their current workforce, 25 percent rated them an "A," 60 percent a "B," 15 percent a "C," and 1 percent a "D." Less than one-half of a percent felt their current staff was a failure.
2. Emphasis on social media to strengthen brand: The economy required companies to make tough decisions about their businesses, which had a negative impact on their brands. Close to four in 10 employers (37 percent) plan to put a greater emphasis on social media in 2010 to create a more positive brand for their organization. One in five employers plan to give social media responsibilities to a current employee, while close to one in 12 (8 percent) plan to hire someone new to focus or partially focus on social media.
3. Rehiring laid-off workers: Companies needed to scale their businesses to market last year and four in 10 employers say they were forced to lay off workers. Among those who had layoffs in 2009, 32 percent of employers now say they plan to bring back workers, with three in 10 either doing it now or planning to do so in the first six months of 2010.
4. Flexible work arrangements: Companies plan to continue providing employees with greater flexibility in hopes of maintaining a better work-life balance. Thirty-five percent of employers say they plan to provide more flexible work arrangements in 2010, compared to 31 percent last year.
5. Cutting perks and benefits: Even as companies look in the new year toward growth opportunities for their businesses, many still are choosing to trim perks and benefits. Thirty-seven percent of employers say they will cut perks and benefits in 2010, up from 32 percent who said they trimmed in 2009. Perks and benefits employers plan to trim in the new year include bonuses; medical coverage; 401k matching; and office perks such as coffee, tea, and condiments.
6. Rehiring retirees and postponing retirement: Companies understand the intellectual capital mature workers bring to their organization, and 27 percent say they are open to retaining their workers who are approaching retirement. Sixteen percent say they are likely to rehire retirees from other companies in 2010. Additionally, one in 10 are likely to provide incentives for workers at or approaching retirement age to stay on with the company longer.
7. Freelance or contract hiring: While employers still plan to be cautious regarding the number of full-time employees they add in the new year, many will turn to freelance or contract employees to help keep their businesses moving forward. Three in 10 employers anticipate hiring freelancers or contractors in 2010, up slightly from 28 percent in 2009. Six percent expect to employ more freelance workers or contractors than last year, while 15 percent expect to hire the same amount, and 10 percent plan to hire fewer.
8. Green jobs: Employers will continue to turn some of their focus to the environment in the new year. Eleven percent of employers say they plan to add "green jobs" in 2010, the same percentage who said they added them in 2009. "Green jobs" are positions that implement environmentally conscious design, policy, and technology to improve conservation and sustainability.
9. Bilingual recruitment: Employers have identified having a diverse workforce as an important measure of success as they begin to rebuild their businesses after the economic downturn. One area they plan to focus on is building a bilingual team. Nearly four in 10 employers (39 percent) said they plan to hire bilingual candidates in 2010, and half said if they had two equally qualified candidates, they would be more inclined to hire the bilingual candidate.
10. Business travel: While employers are inching away from cost containment and more into growth, one area they still plan to save money on is business travel. Forty-three percent of employers say in their organizations there will be less business travel in 2010 than in 2009.
What employment trends have you already noticed this year? Any that particularly concern you? Join the discussion on Training Day.
Miss last week's edition of Inside Training? To read it, click here
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