In yesterday’s Advisor, we learned a little about the sunny 2015 predicted by CareerBuilder’s annual job forecast survey; today, five trends to be on the lookout for based on the survey’s results.
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The survey, which was conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder by Harris Poll, included a representative sample of 2,192 hiring managers and HR professionals across all industries. The forecast suggests that 2015 is going to be a far cry from what we’ve seen in recent postrecession years, and here are five important trends.
1) Minimum wage increasing. At the center of one of the most debated issues of the year, minimum wage workers may be earning bigger paychecks going forward. Forty-five percent of employers expect to raise the minimum wage within their organizations in 2015.
Of these employers, half (53%) will raise it by $2 or more per hour while one-third (32%) will raise it by $3 or more. Forty-seven percent will limit the increase to $1 or less. The majority of employers (69%) said they will pay $10 or more per hour while 39% will pay $12 or more. Nearly one in five (18%) will pay $15 or more.
2) Small businesses ramping up. While still the most cautious when it comes to expanding staffs, small businesses are planning to have extra hands on deck to meet increased market demands. Twenty-nine percent of small businesses with 250 or fewer employees expect to add full-time, permanent employees, up from 22% last year. Seven percent will downsize, an improvement from 9% last year.
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3) Education requirements becoming stricter. As roles within organizations become more complex and data-driven, hiring managers have adjusted requirements for their job openings. Twenty-eight percent of companies say they’re now hiring workers with master’s degrees for positions that had been primarily held by workers with 4-year degrees.
Thirty-seven percent are now hiring workers with college degrees for those that had been primarily held by workers with high school diplomas—65% of these employers attributed this to the skills required for positions evolving within their firms.
4) Part-time jobs increasing. Twenty-three percent of employers expect to recruit part-time workers over the next 12 months, up 6 percentage points over last year. While various factors will influence this trend, 14% of all employers stated they will likely hire more part-time workers in 2015 due to the Affordable Care Act.
5) Cubicle walls coming down. Employers subscribe to different schools of thought on what creates the most productive and collaborative work environment, with some leaning toward eliminating any physical barriers. Thirteen percent of employers reported that their companies are implementing an open space floor plan with no cubicle walls in 2015.
The outlook for jobseekers in 2015 is the brightest it’s been in years. With the potential for so much mobility, retention and productivity should be a top concern of employers. However, there is a way to have employees stay in their jobs 5 times longer, and be twice as productive. What’s the key? It’s simple: Keep employees happy.
It’s not necessarily an easy task—69 percent of employees report that work is a significant source of stress. Employers need to be proactive in fostering a culture that makes their workforce excited to come to work every day. How to get there? Start with the free white paper from BambooHR and Officevibe, How to Create a Happy and Productive Culture.
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