Unlike previous years when December would be a lean season for most businesses and employees, 61 per cent of Indian professionals are planning to not avail themselves of year-ender leaves. Nearly 87 per cent will either continue putting in the same hours or more at work, says a recent survey conducted by professional networking site LinkedIn India.
Indian professionals remain positive about job prospects, with 40 per cent expecting an uptick in hiring. About 53 per cent of professionals believe their organisations will grow in the coming six months. This optimism could also because the hiring numbers are improving, says LinkedIn, recovering to pre-covid period, having 46 per cent year on year growth till October this year.
At the same time, professionals across sectors have also been experiencing much stress. Nearly 80 per cent of professionals without a job felt stressed, and 68 per cent don’t expect their salaries to increase.
Based on the trends noticed on its site, LinkedIn has come out 10 ‘Future of Work’ predictions, including the following:
- Flexi work policies are going to play a crucial role in future. This will reshape work culture in the organisations drastically.
- Virtual events and collaborations are here to stay. LinkedIn has seen virtual events grow by four times since March, India being one of the top 5 countries on the platform to create virtual events.
- Career pivots across different industries and geographies are going to rise. About 62 per cent job seekers were open to taking up jobs in unrelated fields to gain some financial security. In fact, professional in industries like travel and recreation, which have been severely impacted by the pandemic, are nearly three times more likely to shift to another sector. Remote jobs have grown as well, with people applying for such roles increasing by nearly five times. This may also push more people to try their hand at entrepreneurship.
- People are going to increase their investment and time on online learning, with 57 per cent professionals intending to dedicate more time upskilling through online courses.
- As a result, high quality content and customised recommendations are going to be in demand. LinkedIn Learning, the online course arm of the platform, has been releasing more than 60 courses on a weekly basis.
- Companies will continue to hire remotely. About 81 per cent talent professional said they will continue with this practice post-covid and create a hybrid – virtual and in-person – model of recruitment in future.
- Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) will play a crucial role in shaping the way we work. Over 85 per cent HR and talent professionals feel reskilling the workforce is essential.
- With people spending more hours behind their laptops and mobile screens, virtual selling is going to hold more relevance, with face-to-face interactions becoming a rarity. People have been spending much more time on the platform to learn social selling.
- Increased focus on diversity and inclusion. Remote and flexi working will open the doors to more women re-entering the workforce.
- Compassion and empathy in all aspects of managements and processes will be key virtues that leaders will have to imbibe to achieve holistic growth.
“Going forward, India will reimagine the future of work across five areas, specifically the workplace, careers, recruiting, business, and leadership styles. Skills-first hiring will be a pivotal trend, the CHRO will play a critical role, virtual collaboration will become stronger, and learning will be part of everyone’s job," said Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn.
