In May 2023, the World Health Organization officially declared an end to the COVID-19 global health emergency. Many of us find ourselves living in a new normal redefined by the division of time into three stages: pre-pandemic, pandemic and post-pandemic. The pandemic has not only changed our lives personally but has left an impact on the global labour market and the world of work.
As career development professionals, we must ask ourselves two critical questions as we redefine a new normal for our industry: 1.) What does a post-pandemic world look like for our clients? 2.) What does a post-pandemic world look like for the industry of career development?
The future of how we work
One of the most disruptive aspects of the pandemic was the shift to remote work for many companies and professionals. In fact, remote work has become an in-demand job benefit in both Canada and the U.S., due to savings on gas, food and child care expenses, as well as reduction in stress and flexibility with living situations. Six in 10 workers in the U.S. are working remotely by choice and believe their jobs can be done from home. The increase in remote work has implications for career professionals who should be prepared to help jobseekers search for remote opportunities and coach clients on negotiating their work location during salary negotiations.
Some employers have embraced the transition to remote work and others are offering hybrid work schedules. Career professionals should be poised to help clients launch careers and advance their careers in hybrid offices, which can slow down onboarding and make it difficult to build relationships with co-workers and supervisors.
Remote work also shifted employees’ work attire preferences, prompting an increased push to business casual. In fact, many employees embraced a more relaxed style of working during the pandemic –- think dressing professionally from the waist up only for Zoom meetings. As employees return to the office, they are holding onto casual business dress preferences. Career practitioners will need to help clients, especially recent graduates, navigate the new world of work wear for interviewing, remote work and in-office.
The future of the labour market
The future of the labour market and where jobseekers will find opportunities in North America will depend on how individual sectors rebound from the pandemic. Both Canada and the Unites States saw sectors affected differently during the pandemic – with gaps between sectors whose workforce was deemed essential and those who had to lay off workers. A few of the sectors hit hardest were entertainment, transportation, travel and hospitality, restaurants, manufacturing and oil and gas across both countries. Conversely, one sector that thrived throughout the pandemic was healthcare.
Career practitioners should continue to monitor the impact of the pandemic on the economy and labour market so that they can advise clients seeking employment or to make a career change. In addition, career practitioners should follow unemployment and quit rates closely as the future of the labour market continues to unfold.
The future of work is diverse, equitable and inclusive
While the global pandemic affected all of us, the impact was not the same across countries and communities. In fact, McKinsey & Company found that the pandemic had a disparate impact on women’s employment around the world. This reminds career practitioners that our work is to create equal access to the labour market for all populations. Moreover, our work may cross over into social justice and advocating for equality as we work to help diverse populations – many marginalized – find meaningful employment.
Additional challenges to be aware of include equal pay and fair wages, natural hair discrimination, 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and the use of personal pronouns, parental leave, and access to career assistance, training and education for marginalized populations such as Indigenous communities and first-generation post-secondary students.
“This reminds career practitioners that our work is to create equal access to the labour market for all populations.”
One step all career professionals can take is to reconsider the notion of professionalism and how we prepare diverse populations for the workplace. We must ensure that the methods and messaging we use to prepare clients for the workplace are multiculturally competent, helping clients to shine light on their authentic selves.
The future of career development
In addition to considering what the future holds for our clients, career practitioners should also consider what the future holds for the career development industry. Special attention should be paid to how artificial intelligence (including tools such as ChaptGPT) may affect the demand for our services or how our services are delivered.
Mental health and its impact on career development and success also continues to be a major challenge for many countries. According to the World Health Organization, “mental health conditions can have a substantial effect on all areas of life, such as school or work performance.” Career practitioners must understand the impact of mental health conditions on employment and be poised to work with students and clients experiencing mental health challenges. Of note, depression and anxiety are the most common mental health conditions, costing the global economy $1 trillion annually.
Preparing for the future
There are myriad additional trends shaping the future of our work and the demand for our services such as quiet quitting, the Great Resignation and employee burnout. How can career practitioners ground themselves to prepare for disruption and the unknown? Two thoughts come to mind.
First, we must continue to advocate for career development across the lifespan. This includes gaining a clearer understanding of the impact and outcomes associated with our work. Reports like The Harris Poll, commissioned by the National Career Development Association to assess perceptions of today’s workforce on the effectiveness of career development practitioners, are key to increasing our value and communicating our impact.
Second, we must continue to serve as the mediator between education and training, the labour market and jobseekers. This includes revisiting initiatives like CERIC’s 2013 Career Imperative, which facilitated a national conversation between education, business and government and sought to fix the “talent disconnect” that career practitioners see in both the U.S. and Canada. The questions posed through this initiative continue to resonate today:
- If there was one thing you would change to make the work search and talent match process work better, what would it be?
- What strong value proposition statement would you make for career development services so that business and government would see it as our nation’s investment?
- What are some examples in your regional area of collaborative innovations where business, education, community-based services, trade groups and government are developing and connecting people with productive and rewarding career opportunities?
As we settle into our new normal supporting jobseekers who are launching careers during disruptive times, the future looks bright for career development practitioners. Our services are needed to help our communities and economies thrive in a global labour market. The ways in which we implement our services may change, but helping people find meaningful and gainful employment remains an important need in society.
