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When considering a new job, HR professionals are 25% more likely than others to prioritize an inclusive workplace. According to over 37,000 LinkedIn members surveyed in recent months, what matters most to them when they’re considering a new job opportunity.
And that’s just one example of how candidate priorities can vary dramatically depending on what role they’re currently in. While there are a few things that virtually everyone cares about (more on those in a moment), LinkedIn’s data also reveals what priorities are uniquely important to specific talent pools.
Learning what candidates want isn’t just interesting — it’s also crucial for attracting the right talent. Read on to discover which priorities matter most to all candidates; how priorities can differ across candidates in HR, engineering, and business development; and how you can find data on what your specific talent pool prioritizes.
Top priorities across all candidates — and what’s changing
Let’s start with the big picture: When LinkedIn asked members to select their most important factors when considering a new job, three priorities emerged as clear frontrunners.
Compensation leads the pack, with 62% of candidates ranking “excellent compensation and benefits” among their top priorities. Work-life balance follows at 49%, while flexible work arrangements round out the top three at 44%. These three priorities have dominated candidate preferences for years, dating back to the pandemic.
While these top priorities have remained remarkably stable, there’s been more movement just beneath the surface. Recent LinkedIn data shows subtle but telling shifts in candidates' priorities.
“Challenging, impactful work” saw the biggest increase (+2.5%) over the past quarter, followed by “collaborative culture” (+1.9%). Meanwhile, traditionally strong priorities like “opportunities to learn new skills” and "opportunities for career growth" both declined (-2.5% and -1.6%, respectively).
These shifts might reflect a broader trend: In times of economic uncertainty, candidates often prioritize immediate emotional benefits over longer-term potential gains. The increased emphasis on challenging work and collaboration suggests people want clear value and connection in their day-to-day work, while the declining focus on future opportunities might indicate a preference for certainty over possibility.
How candidate priorities differ across talent pools
While these broad trends offer valuable insights, the reality is that candidate priorities can vary dramatically by function, location, and skill set.
Using LinkedIn Talent Insights, you can easily find what matters to your custom talent pool, whether you’re hiring marine biologists in Boston or machine learning experts in Mumbai. Simply create a Talent Pool Report, search for the talent pool you’re interested in (via job title, location, skills, industries, or other advanced filters), and click into the Employer Brand tab. Then just scroll down to find the section called “What employer value propositions are most important for this talent?” to see the results for your customized talent pool.
For now, let’s examine three major functions and how candidates within each stand out. While the top priorities (compensation, work-life balance, and flexibility) remain important across all groups, each function shows distinct preferences that often align with the candidates' core work.
Engineering candidates, for instance, are 25% more likely than other candidates to prioritize innovative projects and 22% more likely to value working with highly talented employees. This emphasis on innovation and peer talent likely reflects the technical nature of their work and the rapid pace of technological change.
Business development professionals show a notably different pattern: They’re 28% more likely to prioritize mission and values and 24% more likely to value talented colleagues. This suggests that business development talent particularly values organizational culture and the caliber of their potential collaborators, fitting for a role that revolves around relationship-building.
HR professionals’ priorities reflect their function’s increasing strategic importance: Beyond their heightened focus on inclusive workplaces (+25%), they’re also 20% more likely to value collaborative culture and 18% more likely to prioritize mission and values. This alignment between personal and organizational values seems particularly important for those responsible for shaping company culture.
Final thoughts
While compensation, work-life balance, and flexibility remain the top priorities, today’s data reveals two key insights about what candidates want in 2025.
First, in uncertain times, candidates seem to be prioritizing the definite present over the potential future. The rising interest in challenging work and collaborative culture, coupled with a declining focus on learning and growth opportunities, suggests people are focusing more on the immediate value of their day-to-day work experience.
Second — and perhaps more importantly — there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to attracting talent. Engineers prioritize innovation and peer talent, business development professionals value mission alignment and collaboration, and HR candidates seek inclusive, value-driven workplaces. These distinct preferences often mirror the core aspects of their roles.
Understanding these nuances — both the broad priorities and the function-specific differences — can help you create more compelling job opportunities that resonate with your target talent pool. After all, the first step to attracting the right candidates is understanding what they truly value.
Methodology
Based on 76,723 responses from members around the world between July 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024. This analysis compares the employer value propositions for the current quarter against the previous quarter to generate quarter-over-quarter results. For quarter-over-quarter results in this analysis, the current quarter was compared against last quarter. “Last quarter” was (July 2024 – September 2024), with 39,705 survey responses. “Current quarter” was (October 2024 – December 2024), with 37,018 survey responses. To evaluate differences in personas, this analysis looks at key functions on LinkedIn and compares their responses to the survey against the responses of the global population.
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Originally posted on LinkedIn
The workplace is at an inflexion point. Rapid advancements in AI, intensifying polarization, eroding employee perks and protections, and shifting employee expectations are transforming the role of HR in unprecedented ways. These trends demand bold, strategic responses from HR leaders who must balance technological adoption with human-centred leadership, global instability, and increasing demands to do more with less.
After taking last year off, I’m back to weigh in on the evolving landscape of HR and people operations in the new year. You can check out past year predictions for 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020. (Looking back, I had more hits than misses, although I’m still haunted by that Metaverse pick. Alas, Zuckerberg.)
So, what will the HR landscape look like in 2025? From redefining job roles in the age of AI to reimagining the workplace, HR leaders are navigating uncharted territory. The future demands agility, and HR is again at the helm of this change.
Here are seven key trends reshaping the future of work.
1. AI automation will reimagine your job
Will AI take your job — or make it better? In 2025, the rise of agentic AI and automation is poised to reshape job roles, deconstructing traditional responsibilities and redistributing tasks between humans and machines. This shift is already underway: A McKinsey report notes that AI could automate up to 70% of routine tasks in sectors like finance, retail, and customer service.
The coming result is a hybrid workforce model, where AI agents handle routine tasks while humans focus on complex problem-solving. For HR leaders, this evolution means redesigning roles to reflect these synergies, updating performance metrics, and realigning recruitment strategies to prioritize creativity, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and the ability to learn.
This transformation offers opportunities and challenges. Companies leveraging AI effectively see improved productivity, yet employees often express understandable concerns about job security. By addressing these anxieties with transparent communication and robust reskilling programs, HR can ensure automation enhances — not replaces — human contributions.
2. We’ll need to get serious about AI and hiring
What happens when your next interview isn’t with a person? Companies including EY are already using AI avatars to allow candidates to practice interviews. Chipotle has partnered with Paradox to create a virtual team member called Ava Cado, and expects conversational AI tools to reduce time to hire for restaurant positions by 75%. This is just the beginning.
In 2025, AI-driven avatars will be used by more companies to conduct interviews at scale. A recent study found 70% of companies will use AI for hiring in 2025, with 24% saying they currently use “AI for the entire interview process” — a statistic surely to be appreciated by law firms, as I’ll explain in the next prediction.
Expect job seekers to match this embrace of AI.
Job applicants are already using tools like BulkApply.ai, Sonara, and LazyApply to mass apply to numerous jobs. Companies are seeing as much as a threefold increase in job applicants according to a report by recruiting software company Ashby, overwhelming recruiting teams and clogging applicant funnels.
As organizations grapple with these challenges, onsite interviews will make a comeback as a safeguard against AI-driven deception and to evaluate interpersonal skills that technology can’t measure.
Ethical implications loom large. Misuse of AI could lead to discriminatory practices or undermine trust in the hiring process. HR leaders must create protocols to verify candidate authenticity while maintaining fairness and equity.
We’re already in uncharted territory and the clone wars are just beginning.
3. AI in hiring will go under a legal microscope
Hiring decisions made by machines will come under fire this year. The rapid advancements of AI are outpacing its regulation but the policies are catching up.
Last year the European Union approved the EU AI Act, including heavy fines for employers using AI as an “emotional recognition” system. In the United States, things are even more complicated, as current AI regulations have been driven more on a state-by-state basis, with California striking down an AI safety bill that would have mandated a “kill switch” for rogue AI technologies.
This lack of overarching rules and regulations will make it increasingly difficult for HR teams to ensure compliance at the same time they are under immense pressure to adopt AI tools and realize their benefits.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has declared that employers — not software vendors — bear responsibility for discriminatory AI outcomes, placing HR leaders in the spotlight.
A study by the Brookings Institution highlights the risks: Poorly designed algorithms can perpetuate biases in hiring, excluding qualified candidates based on gender, race, or socioeconomic factors. This year organizations face heightened pressure to audit their AI tools for compliance with antidiscrimination laws or risk financial penalties and reputational damage.
Proactive measures are nonnegotiable. HR teams must collaborate with legal experts to evaluate hiring technologies and ensure transparency. Equally important is educating leadership about the potential risks and ethical considerations of AI-driven recruitment.
4. DEI strategies will evolve amid backlash
As political headwinds intensify, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are becoming both a target of controversy and a litmus test for organizational values.
While some companies scale back their efforts under societal or investor pressure, others are strategically reframing their approach to avoid backlash. Despite the political discourse, the financial argument for DEI remains robust. World Economic Forum research shows companies with above-average diversity scores drive 45% average revenue from innovation, while companies with below-average diversity scores drive only 26%.
HR leaders face a choice: Adapt and evolve these initiatives or risk losing credibility with employees and stakeholders. Strategies must be measurable, impactful, and shielded from performative tendencies. True impact requires measurable goals, transparent progress reporting, and initiatives that resonate with employees at every level.
HR leaders must navigate this complexity with both pragmatism and purpose, ensuring their strategies reflect substance over symbolism.
5. Leaders will prioritize efficiency
“Do more with less.” This mantra has become the defining ethos of corporate America heading into 2025. Inspired by Elon Musk’s high-profile DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) cost-cutting strategies, organizations are embracing efficiency as the ultimate goal. AI and automation tools are leading this charge, promising faster workflows and reduced redundancies.
But at what cost? The relentless drive for productivity risks alienating employees, undermining morale, and increasing burnout. The pendulum has swung firmly away from the employee-first ideals of The Great Resignation, leaving HR in a precarious position.
Success will depend on creating strategies that prioritize technological integration while safeguarding the employee experience. The question is no longer whether organizations can do more with less, but whether they can do better with less — without losing their most valuable resource: their people.
6. Learning and development will take centre stage
Is your organization prepared for the generative AI revolution? In 2025, learning and development (L&D) is no longer a supplemental function but a critical driver of organizational success. As automation transforms industries, the World Economic Forum estimates that 50% of all employees will require reskilling by 2025 to remain competitive in the labour market.
Leading companies are already adapting. Walmart, for example, has pioneered skills-based training programs aligned with individual career trajectories, setting a benchmark for others to follow. This approach resonates with employees: LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report found that 94% of workers would remain longer at organizations that prioritize their development.
Microlearning platforms are emerging as key enablers, offering short, targeted modules designed for maximum engagement and efficiency. Yet HR leaders face the challenge of ensuring these programs align with broader organizational objectives. By embedding training into corporate strategy, companies can build a workforce that thrives amid rapid change.
7. Certain entry-level roles will face extinction
What happens when machines take over entry-level jobs? Automation is rapidly reshaping the labour market. These shifts are eliminating tasks traditionally performed by early-career professionals, such as data entry, research, administrative work, and basic analysis.
This erosion of foundational roles creates a critical challenge for organizations and job seekers alike. Without entry-level opportunities, young professionals risk missing out on the experiences that build essential skills. For HR leaders, the solution lies in innovation: rotational programs that expose employees to multiple departments, hybrid roles blending human oversight with AI, and structured mentorship initiatives.
One way to solve for this is to redesign career pathways to include mentorship programs, internships, and AI-human collaboration opportunities, ensuring that young professionals continue to build essential skills.
2025 and Beyond: HR’s role in Building the AI-enabled Future Workforce
The next chapter of work in 2025 is neither purely technological nor purely human — it’s the seamless integration of both. HR leaders who rise to the occasion will shape workplaces where innovation thrives, employees feel valued, and organizations achieve unprecedented success.
The stakes couldn’t be higher in this first year of broad AI adoption: The choices made today will define the talent landscape for a generation.
This post was originally published by Fast Company.
Lars Schmidt is the founder of Amplify Talent, a firm that connects, develops, and empowers the next generation of transformative people leaders through HR executive search and the Amplify Talent leadership development community. He has spent over 25 years advocating for progressive people practices, sharing views in his Fast Company column, the bestselling Redefining HR book, and other platforms.
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Originally published on LinkedIn
Quick, what do you think’s the fastest-growing job in the world? If you guessed it has something to do with AI, you’re right. But what’s surprising is how many quickly growing jobs are not tech-related at all. In fact, they’re downright human.
That’s what we learned from the Jobs on the Rise reports LinkedIn released earlier this month. These reports examined LinkedIn data from 21 countries to calculate the job titles experiencing the highest growth rates from January 1, 2022, to July 31, 2024, in countries across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Overall, we found that technology continues to be the fastest-growing industry, a trend that has remained consistent over the last few years. Every one of the countries we looked at included some kind of tech role among its top 10 fastest-growing roles. But post-Covid, people are also eager to step away from their computers and see the world again, which has resulted in a spike in both travel and hospitality jobs. And because the planet continues to grapple with climate change, there’s a growing demand for green jobs around the world.
To see the results for each country from our Jobs on the Rise reports, click on any of the links here (we’ve provided a peek at each country’s top three):
Australia
1. English as a second language teacher
2. Server
3. Travel Specialist
Brazil
1. Chief revenue officer
2. Process safety engineer
3. Neuropsychologist
Canada
1. Flight attendant
2. Partnerships manager
3. Audio visual technician
France
1. Quality inspector
2. Admissions specialist
3. Accounting analyst
Germany
1. Energy specialist
2. Business process owner
3. Employer branding specialist
India
1. Aircraft maintenance engineer
2. Robotics technician
3. Closing manager
Indonesia
1. Travel consultant
2. Cyber security engineer
3. Security operations center analyst
Ireland
1. Fundraiser
2. Learning Specialist
3. General practitioner
Israel
1. Marketing manager
2. Field application engineer
3. Artificial intelligence researcher
Italy
1. Travel consultant
2. Artificial intelligence engineer
3. Human resources administrator
Mexico
1. Key account sales manager
2. Sustainability manager
3. IT architecture specialist
Netherlands
1. Artificial intelligence engineer
2. Business director
3. Information security officer
Saudi Arabia
1. Building information modelling coordinator
2. Media Buyer
3. Human resources onboarding specialist
Singapore
1. Food and beverage assistant
2. Artificial intelligence researcher
3. Electrical and instrumentation technician
Spain
1. Travel advisor
2. Software specialist
3. Aircraft maintenance technician
Sweden
1. Treasury manager
2. Platform engineer
3. Data center technician
Switzerland
1. Treasury manager
2. Cyber security specialist
3. Accountant
Türkiye
1. Machinist
2. Contract specialist
3. Aircraft technician
United Arab Emirates
1. Media Buyer
2. Artificial intelligence engineer
3. Real estate consultant
United Kingdom
1. Artificial intelligence engineer
2. Home health aide
3. Aircraft mechanic
United States
1. Artificial intelligence engineer
2. Artificial intelligence consultant
3. Physical therapist
Engineer roles are growing quickly, with AI leading the way
It probably won’t come as a shock to anyone that the role that appeared on the most lists in our sampling is — drumroll, please — AI engineer. This role is so hot that 15 of the 21 countries listed it among its fastest-growing roles. And in the U.K., Singapore, the Netherlands, and the U.S., it topped the list. AI researcher was also a quickly growing role, appearing on three countries’ lists.
And it’s not just AI engineers that are in demand. Companies are looking for engineers, period. We found 26 different types of engineers on our lists, including cybersecurity engineer, platform engineer, machine learning engineer, and performance engineer.
Unfortunately, there continues to be a gender gap in engineering and technology roles. In the U.S. alone, only 20% of AI engineers are women, as are 26% of AI researchers and 17% of nuclear engineers. This presents a huge opportunity for both universities, who can encourage women to study engineering and STEM subjects, and companies, who can hire them.
Reskill/upskill with LinkedIn Learning courses, unlocked through February 14, 2025:
- AI Engineering Essentials: Navigating the Tech Revolution with Jon Maeda, VP of AI and design at Microsoft
- Reimagining Skills in the Age of AI with Aneesh Raman, chief economic opportunity officer at LinkedIn
- Platform Engineering Foundations with David Swersky, customer engineer at Google
- Introduction to Prompt Engineering with Ronnie Sheer, senior AI engineer and founder and CEO of Smart Plan
- Foundations of Detection Engineering with Eric Wilson Thomas, threat detection and incident response engineer at HD Supply
Up, up, and away: Travel roles rebound after Covid
Now that the pandemic is (mostly) in the rearview mirror, people want to roam the world again, resulting in a rebound for the travel and hospitality industry. If you need proof, consider this: Travel advisors (called travel consultants or agents in some countries) appeared on the lists of 12 countries. In Spain, Italy, and Indonesia, they topped the list.
Of course, as people roam, they need to eat, so food and beverage supervisors showed up on the lists of Canada, Indonesia, India, and Germany. They also need to fly, which has led the airline industry to take off. Aircraft mechanics appeared on the lists of fastest-growing jobs in eight countries; pilots in three; and flight attendants in another three. Bon voyage!
With the threat of climate change, demand for green talent continues to grow
In the past, Europe has been a hotbed for green jobs. And while that’s still true, the demand for green talent is spreading.
We found 10 different environmentally focused jobs among the fastest-growing roles. These included sustainability specialist, sustainability analyst, environmental officer, and energy consultant.
Among the countries we examined, the Netherlands leads the way, with three of its 15 fastest-growing roles being green. But the need for environmental talent has now scattered across the globe, from Saudi Arabia to Türkiye to Canada, India, and Brazil. The industry is growing so quickly that 15 of the 21 countries listed at least one green job among its fastest-growing roles.
These numbers echo what LinkedIn found in its Global Green Skills Report 2024: that demand for green talent grew twice as quickly as supply between 2023 and 2024. The report also found that the workplace will need to double the size of the green talent pool by 2050 to keep pace with projected demand.
Reskill/upskill with LinkedIn Learning courses, unlocked through February 14, 2025:
- An Introduction to AI and Sustainability with Amy Luers, global director of sustainability science at Microsoft
- Closing the Green Skills Gap to Power a Greener Economy and Drive Sustainability with Sue Duke, VP of global public policy at LinkedIn
- Introduction to ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance with Fulya Kocak Gin, award-winning sustainability leader and advisor
- Cert Prep: LEED Green Associate with Fulya Kocak Gin
- Lean Principles for Environmental Sustainability with Sam Yankelevitch, author,trainer, and international conference speaker
The surprising role that’s growing quickly around the world
In a sign of the times — and perhaps an indication that people could use more than a vacation — psychotherapist/psychologist was among the fastest-growing roles in five countries: Canada, Singapore, Ireland, Indonesia, and India. In Brazil, two mental health titles, neuropsychologist and pediatric psychologist, were the third- and sixth-fastest-growing roles respectively. Based on these findings, it seems that people are struggling, globally, and could use some help.
Or maybe they just need a trip to Australia, where (restaurant) server, travel specialist, and sommelier ranked as the second-, third-, and fourth-fastest-growing roles.The first? Teacher of English as a second language.
Judging by the Australian labor market, one might guess that all you need is a good meal, a glass of wine, and a plane ticket to someplace fun. Beyond that, it's no worries, mate: There’s more to life, and the workplace, than AI.
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The Department of Labour and Employment has published a new Draft Code of Good Practice on Dismissals, which introduces a system for possible retrenchments.
The draft code was gazetted in accordance with the Labour Relations Act (LRA) on 21 January 2025 and was signed by Minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth.
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr noted that the draft code emphasises that the purpose of a fair procedure is to foster dialogue and reflection.
This fair procedure allows an employee to respond to allegations of misconduct.
The draft code also states investigations and enquiries into misconduct can be informal, with their nature tailored to the specific context and size of the employer.
They can also look into the frequency and severity of the misconduct in question.
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr said that his approach is consistent with the decriminalisation of disciplinary processes.
The draft code also includes guidelines on dismissals due to operational requirements, which were previously absent from the existing Code of Good Practice on Dismissals.
It was instead found under a separate Code of Good Practice on Operational Requirements.
The Draft Code’s proposed Annexure A also states that notices given in terms of section 189 of the LRA should be given in this form.
This relates to notices of possible retrenchments.
Interested parties will have 60 days, until 22 March, to submit their proposals to the Department of Employment and Labour.
The Draft Code of Good Practice on Dismissals can be found below:
This is not the first major update from the Department of Labour this year, with the Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA) coming into force on 1 January 2025.
The new laws, which were signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in April 2023, took time to be implemented amid extreme backlash.
Most of the changes in the EEAA are specific to employers with over 50 employees, called designated employers.
The most noteworthy of amendments allow the Minister Meth to set numerical targets for the 18 different sectors identified by the Minister.
The amendments are set to introduce sectoral numerical targets to ensure that there is an equitable representation of historically disadvantaged groups.
This includes race, gender and disability at all occupational levels in the workforce.
Designated employers will need to comply with sectoral targets once the laws are enforced.
Two separate draft regulations that set out the proposed sectoral targets have already been published.
However, Minister Meth is yet to issue a final version of such regulations.
Despite the regulations not being published, employers were still expected to submit their Employment Equity (EE) reports for 2024 earlier this month.
The deadline for employers to submit their 2024 Reports (EEA2 & EEA4 forms) was midnight on 15 January 2025.
That said, the Department of Employment and Labour said that employers are expected to use EE legislation that predates the latest amendments.
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Originally posted on BusinessTech
When providing temps the TES is deemed to be the employer and therefore responsible for fulfilling all obligations contained in the Basic Conditions of employment Act and any other statutory requirements.
Please note that these calculations are based on the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and do not consider any specific bargaining council agreements. The recruiter must thoroughly investigate whether any bargaining council agreements operate within a specific client’s industry sector before agreeing a rate.
To properly mark up the temp rate, the TES must consider the costs of managing the temp contract. These could include:
Payroll costs – software, pay slips, bookkeeper etc.
Bank fees – payment of the temp
Salary
Administration
Mark ups vary, depending on internal structures and cost centres. All TES agencies must comply with the same statutory requirements. In general, temp mark ups (including all costs and profits) are between 40 and 50% (including the 20.59% statutory cost as per below). For example: If you pay the temp R20 per hour then you’d likely charge the client R30 per hour.
STEP ONE: Calculate the Number of Working Days per Annum
You must accumulate a provision to pay out a benefit on each hour that the person works.
The temp can only accumulate whilst the person is working. Theoretically one should also take off days for when the temp is sick, but for simplification it has not been done in the example below.
Days in a year 365
Weekends -104
Annual leave -15
Sick leave 0
Family responsibility 0
Paid public holidays -12
234
STEP TWO: Calculation to arrive at the % for accumulation of benefits provision
Statutory benefits Benefit days Calculation Accumulation %
Annual leave 15 15/233 6.41%
Sick leave 10 10/233 4.27%
Family responsibility 3 3/233 1.28%
Paid public holidays 12 12/233 5.13%
17.09%
STEP THREE: Calculation of Statutory Costs
Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) 1.00%
Skills Development Levy (SDL) 1.00%
COID 1.50%
Benefits provision 17.09%
TOTAL STATUTORY COST % 20.59%
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by Danielle Statham
Many business leaders are still struggling to engage Generation Z, the group born between the mid-1990s and 2010. Others are already agonising over the next generational cohort: generation Alpha (and 2025 officially heralds the arrival of Generation Beta). Yet the greatest opportunity lies in building engagement across generations through an intergenerational approach to workforce management.
Today’s workforce comprises up to five distinct generations, each with varied work habits, expectations and communication styles. And, for a growing number of businesses, the customer base is just as age-diverse.
For example, we know that Gen Z is driven by purpose. Gen-Z employees typically prefer to work for organisations that align with their values, which include flexibility and work/life balance. They also want to learn and develop new skills.
If you employ Zoomers or want to engage them as customers, you need to communicate your values and mission. You also have to explain how their work or brand loyalty creates a positive impact, not just for you but also for society.
To appeal to younger generations, employers should embrace hybrid working and be sure to offer training and mentorship schemes. This will also help to future-proof your organisation, as the latest studies indicate Gen Alpha’s expectations and priorities will be a more refined version of Gen Z’s.
Managing five generations of workers
An intergenerational approach, however, focuses on more than one age group of customers or employees. It takes in multiple age groups, recognising the strengths and perspectives of each and responding to their wants and needs.
- Traditionalists: Value discipline, loyalty and respect for authority
- Baby boomers: Value teamwork, stability and a strong work ethic
- Generation X: Value autonomy, work/life balance and adaptability
- Millennials: Value purposeful work, diversity and personal growth
- Generation Z: Value truth, communication and flexibility
While it’s easy to focus on differences, all of these groups share a desire for personal growth, professional development and the opportunity to contribute to the world around us. It’s therefore useful for employers to think beyond merely managing different age groups and instead think about building strategies to unleash the potential of these groups.
With the number of over-65s in the workplace growing, there may be a considerable age gap between the youngest and oldest employees in a typical organisation. And, it’s increasingly common for managers to be younger than those they lead. This poses both challenges and opportunities for leaders looking to shape future business strategies, workforce plans and customer engagement.
The bigger the age gap between an older manager and a younger employee, for example, the more likely it is for the younger employee to be unhappy and unproductive, according to a recent study by the London School of Economics. Yet if the situation is reversed, with an older worker reporting to a younger manager, there is no such drop in productivity, suggesting some leaders don’t make the most of the knowledge and skills of younger team members.
Getting the best from a multigenerational workforce
Ultimately, unleashing the potential of an intergenerational workforce is about listening, adapting and adopting more inclusive practices.
The big shift of the past 30 years, from work-centred ideologies to person-first mindsets, requires a more nuanced understanding of what different people need to perform at their best, and the development of work cultures that empower everyone, regardless of age.
This will naturally mean shifting to a more merit-based approach, rather than one driven by seniority, to get the best from younger team members. It will require various forms of flexibility to accommodate all employees, including older workers as we’ll want to retain their wisdom and the cognitive diversity they bring.
It will also mean learning to communicate more effectively for what will be a more community-based exchange rather than a top-down transactional approach to leadership.
Finally, it will mean tackling age stereotypes by encouraging open and honest conversations about assumptions and misunderstandings that can prevent teams and organisations from achieving success.
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Sairah Ashman is the global CEO at Wolff Olins, a brand consultancy.
Originally published in the Raconteur
Putting purpose first
We will continue to link our company purpose to our people strategy in 2025. Mony Group’s purpose is to help households save money, which fits in the context of our wellbeing and people strategy. We’ve been reflecting that purpose to our employees through our Big Money Workshop, where we hold seminars and focus groups on personal financial well-being.
People want to see that the company purpose is congruent with the employee experience. The cost-of-living crisis hasn’t completely gone away, so supporting employees with financial wellbeing will be important to us.
This will also play a central part in our talent-attraction strategy. I think we will see more movement in the job market in 2025 than we saw in 2024. A lot of people sat tight in their roles last year but the job market tends to be cyclical. We must continue to invest in retention and engagement to hold on to our talent.
While some companies are going back to five days a week in the office, we feel very comfortable and confident with our two days in the office and flexible work-from-anywhere programme. We’ve recently invested in our offices in London to improve our hybrid working spaces and really maximise their effectiveness. I don’t think our approach is going to change here.
AI is obviously also going to play a big role, but I will be moving from using AI bots to AI agents and reviewing how we train our staff to work harmoniously with the technology. We’ve moved beyond the initial fear that AI could take away jobs. People are now understanding that this technology can help them in their day-to-day work.
I think the productivity benefits offered by AI will feel less conceptual and more tangible this year and getting our employees ready for that will be important.
Identifying future skills
We’re hearing more and more about advancements in AI and automation, so it will be interesting to see what happens over the next 12 months. Some AI tools have become much more accessible than they once were and organisations are starting to get to grips with them now that some of the security and data questions have been answered.
We’re at a interesting point when it comes to the masses' adoption of AI. There has been a good level of adoption so far but I think we will start to see a greater adoption in very defined pockets of businesses. Used correctly, AI can augment roles, rather than automate or replace them, so I’m keen to see what happens there.
The other priority is understanding our future skills needs. We did some of that work in Zurich five or six years ago. Now, it’s time for us to review this and get clarity about the skills we need to recruit for in the future.
We will always need core insurance, underwriting, claims and risk-management skills, but I see a significant increase in demand for data-analytics skills. People must have the ability to analyse and use data effectively in almost every role moving forward.
Lastly, many organisations are doing much better when it comes to diversity, inclusivity and belonging. Our gender pay gap has almost halved since 2017 [the median gap shrank from 27.4% in 2017 to 15.5% in 2024]. From my perspective, our company has done a good job on gender diversity but there is a lot of work for all of us to do when it comes to improving the representation of ethnic minorities and better reflecting the communities we operate in.
Getting people back together
The use of AI will continue to pick up in 2025 for a couple of reasons. Every business is being asked to do more with less and really look at free cash flow to demonstrate the health of the business.
As an HR leader, this has made me look at what can be automated and how we can get work done more effectively and efficiently with AI. This doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to lay off employees who are currently doing those jobs, but it may enable them to do higher-order work or be retrained in other areas. These workers have institutional knowledge and we want to keep that in the company.
Employee engagement will also be a priority. Hybrid working has made this harder as people are scattered across the country and don’t all live close to a central office.
It’s both a big challenge and an opportunity for HR. We’re going to have to personalise the way we communicate with our employees and manage their performance, as well as the way they provide feedback.
We’re going to continue to be remote-first, as that has opened up the talent pool for us. But we are going to invest in some employee travel and drop-in offices for team-building, problem-solving sessions and socialising.
I hope these will encourage more of the unstructured conversations that used to happen in the office, when people chatted while making a cup of coffee. I think that can make the difference.
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Originally published on the Raconteur.net
A third of major companies in South Africa say that they plan to remove the requirement to have a degree for certain jobs to expand their talent pool and take employment in the country.
This shift, highlighted in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future of Jobs Report 2025, signals a significant move toward creating more accessible pathways to emerging roles, especially as the job market evolves.
The report, which surveyed over 1,000 companies globally, including representatives from South Africa, noted that growing digital access is expected to generate 19 million new jobs by 2030 while simultaneously displacing 9 million.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, 64% of businesses identified the focus on labour and social issues as a key trend shaping their strategies through 2030.
Other factors, such as rising living costs and expanding digital access, were also flagged as critical by 59% of respondents.
In South Africa, where unemployment remains a pressing issue, these developments are particularly significant.
The unemployment rate stood at 32.1% as of November 2024, one of the highest globally, and the extended definition, which includes discouraged job seekers, puts this figure at a staggering 41.9%.
Despite these challenges, businesses are working to address perceived skills gaps—cited by more than 60% of South African companies as a major obstacle to transformation—through targeted initiatives.
To adapt to the rapid evolution of the job market, companies are increasingly prioritising upskilling and reskilling programmes.
Roles in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics are gaining prominence, and the WEF projects that AI and data processing alone will create 11 million jobs while replacing 9 million.
This rapid turnover underscores the need for continuous learning, with 39% of workers’ key skills expected to change by 2030.
One of the most transformative strategies outlined in the report is that 34% of companies plan to eliminate degree requirements for certain positions.
This approach aims to broaden access to high-demand roles that do not necessarily require formal academic qualifications but instead emphasise practical skills and adaptability.
It represents a critical shift in how talent is assessed and matched to job opportunities, particularly in a country like South Africa, where access to higher education remains a barrier for many.
In addition to addressing skills gaps, South African companies are investing in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
The WEF report notes that 55% of local employers aim to target individuals from disadvantaged religious, ethnic, or racial backgrounds, and 41% plan to support those from low-income communities.
These initiatives not only help to diversify the workforce but also contribute to a more equitable job market.
This focus on creating accessible opportunities comes against a backdrop of declining hiring activity, as observed in CareerJunction’s Employment Insights Report, which recorded a 7.2% drop in hiring over the past two years.
However, the removal of degree requirements and investment in DEI initiatives offer a glimmer of hope, potentially driving more inclusive economic growth.
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Originally published on BusinessTech
Over the last year, talent leaders have faced relentless change, with increased calls for return-to-office; an urgent need to upskill on AI; and hiring surges followed by headcount reductions. But amid all the change, one thing has remained true: A company’s success depends on its people.
In such a topsy-turvy labour market, talent leaders may wonder how best to hire, nurture, and retain talent. That’s why LinkedIn assembled a panel of industry leaders for a recent audio event, Global Talent Trends: Data-Driven Insights into the Changing World of Work. Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn’s chief economic opportunity officer, hosted the discussion with Karin Kimbrough, LinkedIn’s chief economist, and Johnny Campbell, CEO and co-founder of SocialTalent.
They discussed the findings in LinkedIn’s most recent Global Talent Trends report, along with how talent leaders can navigate the changing world of work.
Here’s a recap of the event:
1. Hiring should pick up a bit in 2025
Aneesh kicked off the conversation by acknowledging the moment we’re in. “If you are feeling overwhelmed right now in terms of how quickly things are changing, you are not alone,” he told listeners. “We are all going through a moment, a big change in history when it comes to the world of work.” The best way to manage this change, he said, is by trying to understand it.
And to do that, he asked Karin to explain the current labor market.
Karin said that over the last two years the labor market has been on a “journey of rebalancing.” While job seekers held most of the power during the Great Reshuffle, the balance has gradually tilted toward employers. “It’s far more balanced now, but that’s not enough,” she said. “You also need momentum, and one of the things we’ve been observing, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, is that hiring is sluggish and competition is high.”
Nonetheless, Karin sees a small silver lining. “We expect hiring to pick up a little in 2025,” Karin said, “but not necessarily rebound wildly, globally.” The bright spots have been in healthcare, utilities (mostly green energy), and government, where hiring has been robust. And she thinks tech hiring is about to pick up. “After a really sharp slowdown in technology a few years back,” she said, “it’s one of the strongest areas for hiring that we’ve seen — and a lot of that is AI-driven.”
2. The uptick in hiring is at least partly due to increased internal mobility
At least part of the increase in hiring has been due to internal mobility, which LinkedIn data shows has increased 6% over the previous year. “People are staying put, but moving around in their current company,” Karin explained, “and it’s pretty encouraging because it shows that companies are finding ways to leverage their internal talent.”
Aneesh saw all this as a good sign. “I think internal mobility is going to become more and more how we measure hiring, how we measure the health of the labor market,” he said, “and how we measure just mobility in the labor market, period.”
3. Company leaders are looking for AI skills
Of course, one of the biggest topics was AI, and how important employers consider AI skills when they’re hiring. According to the 2024 Microsoft and LinkedIn Work Trend Index, two-thirds of leaders say they wouldn’t hire a candidate without some AI skills.
So, yes, AI is that important. “And I think it’s only going to rise,” Karin said. She added that companies consider it essential for candidates to have some AI skills and that recruiters on LinkedIn are now five times more likely to search by skills than they were before. What’s more, LinkedIn has seen a huge increase in nontechnical professionals using LinkedIn Learning to build their AI skills.
4. Remote and hybrid jobs remain popular, even as they’re on the decline
Before diving deeper into a discussion of AI, Aneesh asked Karin about something that many talent leaders are grappling with right now: the issue of remote or hybrid work versus return to office.
“I couldn’t agree with you more that this seems to be top of mind,” she replied. She pointed to LinkedIn data showing that in the United States about 20% of jobs offer flexible work, whether that’s remote or hybrid. But in other parts of the world, those numbers are much higher. In India, Karin said, 30% of jobs offer flexibility. In Germany, it’s 35%; in Australia, it’s 40%; and in the United Kingdom, it’s close to 50%.
“Believe it or not,” Karin said, “the U.S. is on the low end, with only 8% of our jobs completely remote.” But remote jobs have remained extremely popular; while they make up a small fraction of job postings, they receive 40% of the applications. “People like it,” Karin added. “As I always say, nobody misses their commute.”
With RTO calls increasing, remote work could decline a little further. “That doesn’t mean it’s going to fade totally,” Karin said, “but it’s probably not the thing we’re coalescing around.”
5. Most companies are in the earliest stages of adopting AI
Aneesh then shifted back to AI, mentioning to Johnny that the AI revolution seems different from past disruptions because it’s coming from the ground up. Employees are adopting generative AI, Aneesh said, while leaders are still “trying to come up with an AI point of view, a strategy, or an adoption plan.” He asked Johnny why there was such a wide range between the companies that are adopting AI and those that are kind of stalled out.
Johnny said that social media was also a “bottom-up movement,” particularly regarding hiring. He said companies were originally afraid of using social media, including LinkedIn, for hiring, not that different from what’s happening now with AI. But he mentioned a valuable framework from Boston Consulting Group that emphasizes three stages of AI transformation: deploy, reshape, and invent.
Most companies, Johnny said, are currently in the deploy stage; they’re using Copilot, ChatGPT, or Gemini to assist with tasks. “The second phase, reshape, is where you’ll actually take a process and transform it with AI,” Johnny said, “which is what I saw with the announcement of LinkedIn’s new suite within Recruiter.” He estimated that the reshape stage could yield 40% to 50% productivity gains.
“But the invention stage, part three, is when we completely rethink how we do something,” he said, “and I think we’re nowhere near that stage yet.”
Final thoughts: The one thing companies can do now
With so much advice and information about AI, Aneesh said, it can feel overwhelming to know where to start. So, he asked Johnny if there was one thing companies could do now.
“I think the first thing you can do is build a risk matrix,” Johnny replied, “that clearly identifies potential areas that are low risk and high risk.” He added that it’s not necessary to identify hundreds of risks and to put them through a robust committee. “There are many, many applications of AI that you can start with easily today,” he said.
In the areas where there’s very low risk, he suggested that companies encourage a culture of innovation and experimentation. “Unless you try many things, and take a scientific, experimental approach to it,” he said, “including trying different tools for hiring and HR, you’ll never find out.”
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Originally published on LinkedIn