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The Future of Jobs in America Is Good…and Bad…and Complicated

Read about the future of work and more top recruiting stories from throughout the week.

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Aug 4, 2023

Welcome to “The Most Interesting Recruiting Stories of the Week,” which features talent acquisition insights and information from around the web to kick off your weekend. Here’s what’s of interest this week:

Which jobs will be in demand? Which ones are shrinking? And which ones could be hardest to fill? These are the questions that McKinsey is asking — and answering — in its new report, “Generative AI and the Future of Work in America.” (McKinsey)

Job seekers are concerned about how they’re being evaluated. As AI plays a greater role in matching people to roles, many job seekers are expressing frustrations that new technology is hurting their prospects. In some ways, such complains are just newer versions of grievances against ATSes. But as with ATSes, there were valid reasons to be concerned. Just as there are now with AI. (The Washington Post)

The No. 1 trend in HR is the hiring crisis. So says TA expert Tim Sackett. Among the points he makes is this: “It’s 2023 and we have a massive hiring crisis that most non-HR and Talent pros don’t understand because the media doesn’t talk about the reality. If it bleeds, it leads, so let’s talk about MASSIVE LAYOFFS! In reality, layoffs are at a predictable historical amount as compared to other years. We don’t have a layoff problem, we have certain industries that over-hired for years using free money and banker came calling.” (Tim Sackett)

There’s major competition among job seekers for retail roles. New research from iCIMS indicates that job applications are up 34%, while open positions have fallen by 14% over the past year. Also notable is that 70% of applicants for retail positions used a mobile device, compared to just over half of all applicants in June. (iCIMS)

Meanwhile, the state of recruiting in construction looks very different than in retail. The industry is facing a labor shortage of 650,000 workers. Numerous experts are advocating for immigration reform, greater use of tech, and raise the profile of construction as a career path — all of which is easier said than done. (CNBC)

Is a job interview with no questions a job interview? A candidate recently shared her experience “interviewing” for a position at a hotel. No questions were asked of her. She didn’t get the job, which is probably because…well…the article makes some solid speculations. (Bored Panda)

How the “lazy girl job” took over work TikTok. It turns out that #lazygirljob is sort of a thing. It started with a 26-year-old posting on TikTok about how a low stress, fully remote job with little oversight and a good salary. Well, isn’t that what most of us want, regardless of our gender? (Confession: In some ways, I think I already have a lazy girl job.) It’s all enough to induce eye rolls, but behind the apparent fluff are real aspirations and concerns among especially younger workers. (BBC)

Signing bonuses continue to be extremely popular offerings by employers. Companies are continuing to offer one-time payments at rates well above pre-pandemic levels. In June, almost 5% of U.S. job postings cited signing bonuses, well above the pre-pandemic average of 1.8%. (ERE.net)

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