Outlook on how recent technology trends have permeated into HR strategies
Written by HRCap, Inc.
As dictated by the ever-disruptive COVID-19 pandemic, the workforce has turned to technology to keep afloat with digital solutions playing a more important role than ever before. Participants from across the technology and consumer electronics sectors came together to virtually participate in the CES 2021 Digital Show. Here, at the crux of technology and innovation, we see the next wave of technological trends. These trends reflect how quickly our society has grown in the last year, and dictate the acceleration and consumption of technology to define how, where, and for what we work.
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced the core trends are in Digital Health, in the hopes that AI and robot technology will be of service in the future; Digital Transformation, as the unexpected growth has accelerated two years of growth in two short months; Robots and Drones that are active in every industry that value “non-contact;” Vehicle Technology, such as self-driving and electric cars; 5G for the fastest telecom speed with one thousand times more capacity when compared to 4G LTE; and Smart Cities providing significant aid in contact tracing as well as renewable energies.
This clear trend of the technology also permeates into human resources. In fact, the quality of the workforce also buttresses the boom of key industries in technology. Austin, Texas has become a hub for 2020’s tech boom, projecting to have at least 25% population growth between the years 2020 and 2050, with 43% of those in the age range of 18 and 44. This is largely due to its capacity for lower cost of living, lower tax expenses, lower public facility rates, and lower concerns for natural disasters. Due to the influx, there has been an increase in Manufacturing and R&D in the most commonly known rising industries related to automotive, clean energy, and biosciences. Many notable companies have announced their relocation to Austin with Elon Musk (Tesla CEO), Drew Houston (Dropbox CEO), and Douglas Merritt (Splunk CEO) all recently announcing their official plans to move to Austin. Tesla’s cyber-truck production base will be located in Austin, along with 8VC, Oracle, and Digital Reality.
Bain & Company highlights the above ten as the top technology trends moving into 2021. Most of these technology trends have to do with real time data transmissions, optimization of data-based decision making, and enhanced technology that better our health, environment, and humanity.
The pandemic has brought a blatant shift in the way people around the world conducted their everyday activities. There was an influx of online shopping, real estate, healthcare, remote work, entertainment, and career changes. Amidst the chaos, the importance of mental health, social justice, and diversity were brought to light. According to LinkedIn’s 2021 trending jobs, the world events reflect the changes in the workforce, which leads to newfound reliance on technology. Since 2019, there have been significant hiring growth in critical roles such as: frontline e-commerce, digital marketing, digital content creation, career coaching, specialized engineering, UX design, AI engineering, loan and mortgage support, healthcare, workplace diversity, mental health support, and education.
HRCap has also seen these recent hiring trends in action. Our most active job placements at global clients echo our research. Over the past 12 months, we have been increasingly focused on critical roles pertaining to e-commerce, digital marketing, software development, data science, IoT, cloud, and 5G. These pillars of technology are stalwarts of the current and future job market. Professionals with such technical skills have been sought after across every industry. Companies must continue to build out their capabilities and proactively hire top talent in those areas; otherwise they will significantly fall behind. Technological innovations will be the fixture in many, if not all, jobs in the very near future.
Source: HRCap, Inc., Consumer Technology Association, Bain & Company, LinkedIn, U.S. Census Bureau, Austin Chamber of Commerce, KOTRA