The COVID-19 pandemic altered life in numerous ways. Lockdowns, restrictions, and the sudden fear of being hit by the disease forced people to start working from home. Even after restrictions eased worldwide, many people still felt the need to reconsider their employment situation.
A movement known as the Great Resignation started when people started resigning from posts that did not offer the incentives expected from a great job. This has caused employees to gain more control over job selection so they can pick one with a better salary, incentives, and even the option to work remotely.
The number of Americans looking for a job or working at one has not recovered greatly since 2020. This means that job seekers are still concerned about finding work after the ease of the pandemic situation. If you are actively searching for a job in 2022 and are worried about this change, then you are at the right place. This guide shall look at trends, statistics, and predictions that can help ease your job search process. Let’s get started!
Job Expectations
Due to layoffs, unemployment, and a profound change in working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, employers realized what a good job meant. Nearly 92% of surveyed people accepted that the pandemic made them realize that pursuing a career they were not passionate about was a bad idea. Around three quarters of the surveyed members temporarily switched jobs and hoped to find a better, permanent one soon.
- Job portals such as this LinkedIn alternative for job search are quickly becoming popular. Job seekers can pick a job post that pays well, offers incentives, and flexible timing
- The labor shortage encourages job seekers to switch owing to added career opportunities. Nearly 82% of these have caused remote work and peculiar work positions to become even more popular
- 85% of job seekers look forward to taking a career leap outside their work industry
Salary Expectations
A trend at the beginning of 2022 showed that job seekers were continually more attracted to better paying, remote jobs with child support, food/health insurance, and other incentives. This incline began in 2021 and is still on the rise.
- Since offering a remote position is not always possible, companies have started accepting the demand for a higher wage. Nearly 87% of workers are now paid more at the starting level
- Surveyed employees received a 52% salary increase with an amazing hourly wage average
- 24% of job switchers have started receiving better pay with an increase of 38% in salary average.
- 60% of people are still looking for new career opportunities even after switching two jobs in the last 19 months to get a better wage
The Great Resignation
The Great Resignation has caused people to quit jobs or start looking for new ones, ultimately creating a pathway for higher wages. The JOLTS (Job Openings and Labour Turnover Survey) released a report on 1st February indicating that nearly 1.2 million employees were laid off in December last year.
Out of these, employees who quit make up about 2.9% or 4.3 million people. It had hit nearly 3% in November last year. Due to this, an increase in pay rates and wages has been witnessed across the American labour market, breaking the records of the last decade.
Remote Work and Flexibility
The pandemic automatically caused most jobs to become remote. However, even after the lockdowns have eased, it is quite evident that remote jobs are here to stay. Only about 37% of American jobs can be done remotely, but the trend continues to rise. These include the marketing industry, insurance, and IT sectors.
- 45% of people left their old jobs because they wished to work remotely
- Job seekers have lost interest in sectors such as home health, manufacturing (by 25%), loading, personal care, and stocking (by 33%)
- Companies are working actively to accommodate job seeker interests and provide above-average post incentives
- Higher wages, remote positions, and added benefits/incentives attract most job applicants
- 40% of people had stated that they left their job because their company was not ready to accommodate them even when they had to stay home to care for children or family members due to the pandemic/lockdown. Nearly 34% of employees also complained about zero flexibility in working hours, leading them to quit
Hybrid Jobs and Boom for Certain Industries
Hybrid jobs are quickly becoming popular due to flexibility in work timings and the ability to work remotely whenever the employee cannot reach the office. Employees enjoy all office benefits such as food, gym, coffee, and the option of staying home to work whenever the need arises. Some jobs even ask employees to come in on only particular days of the week, eventually increasing employee satisfaction. All of this, with an increase in the search for remote job opportunities, has caused certain industries to see a rise in applications:
- Human Resources has seen an increase in job postings by 128.5%
- Logistics has seen a rise of 6% post-pandemic
- Software development has seen a rise of 125.1% since February 2022
- Manufacturing and production have increased 101.6%, which is still lower than the pre-pandemic era
Endnote
2022 seems like a bright year for those that want better wages, more incentives, and remote or hybrid jobs. If you belong to an industry that is open to this idea or is willing to switch to one, you are in luck.