CEO and Chairman of the Board of Brazen, a high-growth tech company in the cloud-based, HR software space.
getty
The pandemic has shined a spotlight on business models across every industry, and a common theme is that many were ill-equipped to pivot quickly and work remotely. No matter how established or profitable a business model was pre-pandemic, no industries were immune to the disruption caused by Covid-19, which forced them to adapt quickly.
The education system, for example, has underscored the importance of relying on collaboration tools, communication apps and a digitally skilled workforce to keep this essential part of society working when students and teachers can’t gather in person. This system is both traditional and slow to adapt and was never completely motivated to adapt until now. Industries like retail and hospitality have been impacted most by Covid-19 because these jobs cannot be accomplished remotely and rely on in-person business.
For this reason, there is a dichotomy in the impact and recovery of these and other in-person and blue-collar jobs as opposed to their white-collar workforce counterparts.
The Dichotomy Of The Recovery
In January 2021, the unemployment rate was 6.3%, down from 8.5% in August 2020. The number of unemployed persons was 10.1 million, down slightly from the previous month. As industries are slowly beginning to get back on their feet, there is an opportunity to identify productivity and skills gaps and invest in the tools and technology to solve for these issues.
For many people working in jobs such as in software or professional services that can be done remotely, there isn’t a rush to get back to work in person until it’s absolutely safe because their work can continue uninterrupted from home. For these employees, opportunities to upskill and grow professionally remain, while those of blue-collar jobs were laregely halted at the onset of the pandemic, and the return to work has been full of false starts and obstacles.
Some of the vertical industries hit hardest were retail, hospitality, food service and construction. Blue-collar jobs have disproportionally been lost due to the pandemic and resulting recession, and in turn, related white-collar jobs that provide services, software, consulting and other services to these industries are suffering losses, though not as severe. The recovery pace and timeline will differ between different industries and types of jobs, signaling an anticipated K-shaped recovery for the U.S. workforce in the months and years to come.
While there is a significant dichotomy in recovery, I also believe the U.S. workforce has some interconnectivity and the impacts of the pandemic are felt far and wide as a rising tide lifts all boats, and vice versa.
The Hybrid Workforce And Hybrid Recruiting
No one knows what the future of the U.S. workforce will look like or how it will operate post-pandemic, but from the perspective of someone who works in the HR/recruitment space, I anticipate we will continue to see employees work remotely from their homes until the vaccine offers the possibility of a safe return to the office. Some companies are allowing employees to work remotely permanently, and others are re-evaluating work-from-home policies to offer employees more flexibility and choice. A hybrid work model, or one that offers some in-office and some remote employees, is a trend I anticipate we will see become commonplace in the next few years.
Accordingly, the way companies recruit talent will also evolve, likely in a hybrid manner as well. The in-person element of interviewing, relationship building and experiencing company culture is critical to the recruitment process, and I don’t think this will operate fully remotely forever. However, I also don’t think any company will be able to successfully recruit top talent in the future without a remote recruitment function and strategy in place.
In the past year, our clients have found that virtual recruiting still offers many of the benefits of in-person recruiting, but also provides the added benefit of cost savings on travel and time away from work. Furthermore, the virtual approach opens up the talent pool to remote employees who companies may not have considered or had access to otherwise. What we’ve learned from the education system and other traditionally antiquated and low-tech industries that were hit the hardest by Covid-19 is that we need to make the time and financial investment now to ensure business models are agile and able to adapt to the next crisis.
What’s Needed To Make Hybrid Work
As every employer works to make their professions, industries and companies future-proof, one variable remains constant: Technology will be key. For technology companies and other professions that have been able to continue working remotely, connecting with and hiring top talent will be more challenging than ever, and talent acquisition teams need the connectivity and capabilities to effectively engage with candidates, wherever they may be.
Companies cannot work efficiently or effectively without qualified and ambitious talent, which trickles down to the rest of the organization and interconnected industries. Identifying and engaging these individuals will be critical not only for the health of their company but the essential businesses, frontline workers and back-office employees who depend on services offered.
Blue-collar jobs were undercut greatly in 2020, and prior to that were not given the same consideration as their white-collar counterparts when it comes to digital support and tools needed to be successful. This crisis has paved the way for exploration and a greater understanding of what industries and employees need to modernize their job functions and embark on a recovery.
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
