Recent employee and employer surveys indicate that both groups see some changes coming for the year ahead.
Here's a summary.
- Canadians feel their careers have been held back by the pandemic
- Many, particularly younger workers, are planning to change jobs in 2022
- They are looking for more money and flexible working arrangements
- The pandemic has caused pockets of labour shortages right now
- Employers are preparing for the worst
Many Canadians experienced career setbacks or at least holdups over the past 18 months or more. A 2021 survey of professionals across the country found that more than one-quarter of respondents (27 per cent) had their careers stalled since the outset of the pandemic — and that number jumped to the majority (55 per cent) of those between the ages of 18 and 24. It has been more difficult for people just starting out in their careers to get any traction during the COVID-19 crisis.
This is doubtless contributing to the current mood amongst workers as more and more of them are looking outside of their current workplace for new opportunities. A December 2021 survey of Canadians found that 43 per cent of workers indicate that they are likely going to look for a new job in the coming months. The wish to move on from their current job was particularly high among younger people, with 62 per cent of survey respondents who plan to change jobs being between the ages of 18 and 34. The number was slightly lower – although still strong – at 48 per cent for workers aged 35 to 54.
It has often been said that times of crisis are also times of opportunity, and that is shaping up to be the case for 2022.
As we noted earlier, 2022 will be a job seeker's market. With an increased demand for workers and more vacancies available, those Canadians planning to make a career shift will have options. The current labour shortage largely results from an increase in workers retiring, given Canada's aging workforce plus the strain that the pandemic put on many sectors, combined with reductions to immigration over the past two years. This is pushing employers to raise salaries and offer other incentives to attract scarce talent.
So, it is important for candidates looking for new opportunities to know their worth on the market. If you are making a career move in order to advance your career, you don’t want to get shortchanged at the job offer. It is far easier to negotiate a higher starting salary from an employer trying to bring you into their organization than it is to obtain a substantial raise from your current boss.
You can use the salary tools on Talent.com to find the average wages for your position.
What employees are looking for
Along with the opportunity to earn more money, job seekers are looking for continued flexibility in their working arrangements. Fears of the Omicron strain of the virus have many people reluctant to return to in-person working. However, even before the latest resurgence of the coronavirus, remote working and the return to the office were shaping up to be a point of contention in some workplaces.
People have become accustomed to working from home, and many have adjusted their lifestyles accordingly. This means rearranging their homes or moving entirely, altering their child or family care activities, and finding a new work/life balance that doesn't include the commute. Plus, they've proven that this situation can be productive and successful.
Employers who draw a hard line on bringing staff back into the workplace full-time could face an exodus of unhappy workers.
If you are looking to begin a new career in 2022, a successful strategy might be to target one of those sectors seeing an urgent need for workers right now. Labour market trends caused by the pandemic have resulted in a rise in demand for certain professionals.
Where the jobs are
One of the side-effects of the pandemic has been to alter many aspects of people's lives. How we work, shop, and conduct business have had to adjust to the conditions of the times. This has resulted in new spikes in demand for certain jobs in Canada right now.
Here are some of the most sought-after.
Nurses. The healthcare system continues to feel the pandemic pressure, and registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and registered practical nurses are all on the front lines. Some have sought early retirement, others have experienced burnout, and hospitals and healthcare providers are facing a shortage of nurses to keep up. Expect these professionals to be in demand for the foreseeable future.
Network administrators. These IT professionals specialize in keeping organizations' computer networks running and the staff connected. They also resolve all manner of tech issues that employees may have. These are becoming increasingly common and complex as teams log into central networks from remote locations, and integrate their own devices with company software and servers. Tech support staff and network administrators are sought after across sectors in 2022.
Financial advisors. The pandemic had many people rethinking their finances and adjusting their plans for the future. Some people lost savings and have delayed their retirement – while others, concerned about health risks and burned out on pandemic scheduling, took early retirement. Families relocated, and people changed career paths. All of this has created an increased demand for financial advisors as pre-pandemic plans were tossed out the window, and Canadians have to set new financial strategies for the post-COVID world.
Customer service representatives. The boom in online shopping has reduced the need for in-person interactions. This made shopping safer and more convenient during the lockdowns, but it does come with its own new set of challenges. A new cohort of online shoppers are sometimes less tech-savvy and may need the help of a dedicated service professional. Plus, online orders, returns, and exchanges, as well as late, lost, or incorrect deliveries, all need a customer service team to support and sort out.
Warehouse associates. Similarly, the move to online transactions has created ademand for warehouse associates. Online retailers don't necessarily maintain brick and- mortar shops, just an online store and a warehouse of products to fulfill orders. This has generated the demand for workers to stock, inventory, and process orders in the warehouses.
Developers. These professionals were sought-after even before the pandemic, and that is only increasing as we head into 2022. As the world goes virtual, and more and more transactions and interactions take place online, there is an ever-increasing demand for professionals to create and maintain the software and applications that keep us all connected.
Project managers. Much like developers, project managers are almost always in demand. These are the professionals who oversee projects, manage the contributions from team members, schedule meetings and updates, and report progress to stakeholders. It's a vital, challenging role and now comes with the added complication of colleagues working from any number of locations on a variety of schedules.
HR managers. These are key members of the human resources team, who are more sought after than ever right now as teams are increasingly working remotely. These decentralized workplaces require innovative new strategies to conserve team cohesion and ensure that company policies and culture are maintained.
Cyber security professionals. The move to conducting more and more business via online platforms is at its peak right now. People across industries are connecting with each other, their employers, and their customers across a variety of apps, websites, and systems. We're doing most of our shopping, banking, and more online. This has resulted in the need for cyber security professionals being at an all-time high.
Up until the Omicron variation caused a COVID resurgence, the retail and accommodation and food services sectors were experiencing labour shortages. Renewed lockdowns and limited capacity may lessen that temporarily, but as we come out of the current wave of the pandemic, expect hiring to spike for those workers.
Canada is also experiencing an ongoing shortage of drivers. This includes long-haul truck drivers to deliver products to markets across the country, as well as local delivery drivers to bring those products directly to the consumer.
What employers can do
Are Canadian employers prepared to face the looming labour shortage conditions? Most say that they can see it coming. While 39 per cent of employers surveyed are very confident that the vast majority of their staff will choose to continue working for them through 2022, the overwhelming majority (61 per cent) indicate that they are anticipating labour challenges ahead.
According to recent research, many companies are pulling out the stops in order to attract staff and compete with rival organizations for talent. Some of the top measures they are using to appeal to workers include:
- Offering more paid time off (40 per cent)
- Giving better job titles (37 per cent)
- Including a signing bonus (35 per cent)
For many workplaces, hybrid working arrangements will likely resolve the conflict between remote work and a return to in-person shifts. These policies see staff splitting their time between working from home and being at the office. For those who relocated further from their place of employment during the pandemic, a longer commute won't seem as arduous when you only have to undertake it a couple of times a week instead of every day. This is why hybrid work was one of our five trends to watch for 2022.
If you are one of the many Canadians looking to make a career move this year, your timing is right. There are opportunities available, and Canadian employers are becoming increasingly generous in their negotiations to entice workers to join their teams. However, keep in mind that retaining existing staff is also going to be a top priority for many organizations. So, if you have been putting off asking for a raise or negotiating some changes to your contract, this could be the time. You may be able to give your career a boost – without needing to change jobs.
