What is the future of work?
A guide to emerging trends
From AI integration to hybrid shift patterns, there’s a wealth of emerging trends shaping the future of work in Australia. To remain competitive in a global hiring marketplace, it’s important for companies to stay ahead of these trends while meeting employee expectations.
Technology sits at the forefront of cultural changes in the workplace. While simple tasks are increasingly automated, there’s an ever-growing need for highly skilled workers. Professions of the future will require a multi-skilled talent pool that navigates these changes with ease. Read on to learn more about how organisations can thrive in this ever-evolving business landscape.
What trends are impacting the Australian labour market?
In Australia, two macro trends to watch include:
• Digital transformation
• Net Zero transformation
The growth of automation and artificial intelligence is impacting businesses worldwide, requiring rapid workforce upskilling to remain digitally literate. And as Australia works towards meeting its Net Zero commitments, there will be an increase in renewable energy projects. That means top careers of the future will likely include highly skilled, VET-trained workers.
On a broader level, here are key trends shaping the future of jobs, both in Australia and internationally.
1. Remote work
While many employees have returned to the office in a post-pandemic landscape, one of COVID-19’s legacies has been pulling down technological barriers to remote work. Indeed, 44% of LinkedIn members surveyed reported flexible working arrangements as a top priority when choosing a new job, showing continued demand.
2. AI integration
Whether your organisation is currently utilising it or not, there’s no doubt that Artificial Intelligence will play an important role in the future of work. Australia’s leading the way in adopting Gen AI tools for recruitment, with 50% of organisations already reporting their use.
From automating repetitive tasks to optimising workflows, these tools provide live, data-driven ways to improve productivity. And through improved productivity, employees will have more time to focus on big-picture innovation, redefining the working experience.
3. Skills-based hiring
Another key labour market trend is skills-based hiring. While 22% of paid job posts on LinkedIn didn’t require a degree in 2020, this rose to 26% in 2023.
This mirrors the growing need for skilled workers, particularly in tech-driven industries. Talent acquisition teams can focus on what future skills candidates bring to the table, rather than relying on degrees alone.
4. Diversity and inclusion
The business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is solid – research shows that companies with a more diverse workforce outperformed those with a homogeneous talent pool, both in terms of race and gender.
The workplace of the future will be a diverse one, deriving value from a multitude of viewpoints and backgrounds to drive innovation. Businesses can increase equity and inclusion by challenging biases both during the recruitment and retention process.
Impact on talent acquisition and HR
The leap forward in digital technologies requires a transformation of HR policies to match. Recruiters can maximise their efforts by automating repetitive processes, all while adopting a data-driven approach in decision-making.
For hiring teams, AI provides the clear benefit of efficiency. Those already using AI report an average time savings amounting to 20% of the working week, or one full day. This leaves more time for relationship building with candidates to ensure the best job fit. It also facilitates a more personalised recruitment and onboarding process, improving the employee experience for better engagement.
Strategies for adapting to the evolving workplace
With an updated strategy, your business can remain nimble throughout technological and cultural shifts.
Refine hybrid work setups
While labour market trends might be moving away from a fully remote setup, hybrid working is here to stay. To attract top talent to your company, you’ll need to provide flexible working benefits merging remote and in-person operating models. For example, rather than micromanaging tasks, focus on performance-based outcomes.
Use skill assessments in hiring
With the move to skills-based hiring, your team can create detailed practical assessments to evaluate candidates. This also reduces unconscious bias through a structured, objective technical interview process.
Implement training and development
The workplace of the future is one that’s actively evolving, creating the need for an agile, adaptable workforce. In addition to maintaining an active talent pipeline, consider redeploying existing staff. Keep ahead of future skills shortages by reskilling and upskilling team members through onsite mentoring and outsourced training programmes.
What are the best skills for the future?
With rapid tech advances and the rise of AI, which skills will be most sought after in the years to come?
The Australian Government’s Jobs and Skills Roadmap has identified significant current skills shortages in healthcare, personal services, technicians and trades workers. This tracks with McKinsey Global Institute research, which predicts top careers for the future related to the green economy (such as wind turbine technicians), healthcare and STEM fields.
By contrast, the switchover to ecommerce, automation and self-checkout means there will be reduced demand for lower-level office support, administrative skills and retail or food service roles.
How LinkedIn hiring tools helps business stay ahead
It’s clear that AI-assisted workflows are becoming standard. If you’re not using generative AI yet, get ahead with LinkedIn Recruiter. Its AI-assisted messaging service, InMail, drafts personalised messages using inputs from each candidate’s profile. AI-Assisted Messages see a 44% higher acceptance rate and are accepted over 11% faster by job seekers compared to non-AI messages.
Recruiter also uses advanced search filters to match you with candidates by skill, so you can fill the gaps in your organisation using skills-based hiring. Then, combine this with the Talent Insights platform to fine-tune your recruitment strategy according to real-time market shifts. Keep your finger on the pulse of emerging trends using Insights’ access to branding metrics and data points.
Key takeaways: What is the future of work?
The future of jobs in Australia is likely to be sustainable and flexible. While AI and hybrid models require some changes, overall, these should make processes more efficient.
One clear trend is that digitalisation marches on – and preparing for tomorrow’s workplace today puts your business ahead of the competition. This starts with using AI-driven technology to streamline workflows and automate tasks. With a forward-thinking approach to talent acquisition and recruiting, you’ll be able to address skills shortages, before they become a liability.