Global Trends

• Global employment trends impacting the labour market


  • Type of career pathway will be different to that of your parents
• Two key employment trends

  • Reduced job security (leading to increased job insecurity)
  • A continued increase in the use of virtual work practices
• Job security


  The notion that an employee will feel safe in the knowledge that their employment will be consistent and ongoing
• Job security


  • Allows people to set and work towards long-term strategic goals, such as raising a family or buying a house
  • Can be caused by increasing uncertainty in global markets e.g. economic climate, trade, increase in outsourcing, etc.
• How can reduced job security impact career planning

  1. May need to be more flexible on approach to work, looking for a range of opportunities in a field rather than focussing on finding the 'ideal job'

  2. Greater need for individuals to develop a wider range of skills to enable them to be competitive in a less stable work environment

  3. Employees need to be more aware of employment trends and employment cycles to plan their future employment

  4. Employees need to consider the competition for potential jobs and adapt their skills and practices to ensure that they can compete for jobs now and in the future

  5. Employees may need to consider ways to deal with periods of unemployment as they transition from one place of employment to another
• Virtual work


  The growth in the number of employees working from virtual work environments. The move away from the traditional workspaces.
• Virtual workplaces are being used by many different industries to enable people to link and work across geographical boundaries using ICT
• The increase in virtual work is caused by the increasing use of innovative technology (e.g. AI) and the replacement of workforces by automated processes
• How can the increase in virtual work impact career planning

  1. Individuals can potentially create employment for themselves by running a small business from the comfort of their own home

  2. It is easier to be a working parent, opening opportunities for employment that may have not been practical in the past

  3. Your access to the job market is not limited by where you live

  4. The capacity to work remotely can increase the level of competitiveness for jobs with some types of work being outsourced to countries with lower wages meaning that jobs in some fields could be reduced or outsourced

  5. Ongoing employment is dependent on an individual's ability to remain up to date with new technologies and be able to use these quickly and effectively in a rapidly changing virtual environment