Employment Trends

In the past, our parents and grandparents trained for a career, got a job - perhaps progressing up the ladder - and then retired.

Nowadays there are very few professions in which we can expect to find a job for life. In fact, it has been estimated that today’s young people will retrain and change careers 7 times during their working lives! And that’s not just updating skills and changing jobs, it’s actually moving to a different field.

The trend away from the job for life has resulted in an increase in fixed-term contracts, more temporary work, and of course, outsourcing, together with downsizing, which is often just a euphemism for getting rid of staff and contracting the work to outside companies.

However, it’s not all bad news. Many people who lose their jobs can set up as self-employed and in some cases sell their services back to their previous employers. Work can be outsourced to people who were once on the payroll.

Less stability for individuals also means more flexibility – the chance to do more than one thing to earn money. So, you could have 2 part-time jobs in completely different areas, or you could have a part-time job and a part-time business (or 2). People in this situation are known as portfolio workers and it’s becoming a respectable option.

For those who choose not to follow the portfolio route, it’s more acceptable to move around and have experience in different areas than it was 50 years ago. Staying in a job for a year or two is no longer frowned upon and shows you have adaptability and a wide range of experience and skills, all of which are important on the CV.

This is also good news for those who have more than one answer to yesterday's question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" If your ideal career does not fit into the conventional pattern, you are no longer limited to just one field.

What are your experiences of short-term contracts or portfolio working? Do you think it’s a positive development or should employment be for life?


Waller

www.coolercareers.com
www.ukjobapplicationforms.com