A number of recently released surveys forecast strong hiring in the first half of 2016. A strong job market will pressure wages as employers boost pay to lure top workers their way.
Hiring will be swift and competitive especially in two sectors, namely tech and health care.
In the tech world developers of applications and systems software, database administrators, cyber security experts, and all manner of artificial intelligence specialists will be in great demand.
In health care physician assistants and nurse-practitioners are in high demand as are doctors, pharmacists and dentists. Also in demand are respiratory therapists and cardio radiological technicians, which are both good jobs that pay well with a two-year associate degree.
The transportation sector has a critical demand for air traffic controllers which has actually become chronic and, if not solved, will cause increasing flight delays in the coming year. There is also a high demand for professional truckers as we begin 2016.
The financial services arena is experiencing a heightened demand for financial planners as the number of people nearing retirement is increasing.
Teaching position in pre, elementary, and secondary schools are expected to increase sharply in 2016 as these areas lack sufficient teachers. However, the greatest demand in the education sector will be for teachers with expertise in science, math, and bilingual education.
Jobs that will continue their sustained decline in 2016 include printing press operators whose ranks are being depleted by the digital printing age and factory workers across the board.
Factory jobs in the United States are systematically being replaced by increased automation and a shift overseas.
This year, 2016, will require employers to find and keep good workers in the fast growing and critically understaffed job markets. Recruitment will look to adjacent industries for people with skills that can be adapted with training to fill open positions.
Employers with established internship and apprentice programs will look to these programs to tap and groom younger candidates while also welcoming back former employees wanting to return.
Internship and apprentice programs will give employers insight into the traits and motivation of potential employees as well as their ability to fit into the company culture and learn on-the-job.
This year college recruiting will be more prevalent than it’s been since the great recession. Companies see grads as a strategic asset – they bring new, fresh thinking, are drivers of innovation and change, and can immerse themselves and ‘seed’ the culture of the organization, making them ‘home-grown talent.’ If they don’t have all of the needed skills and experiences, they can be trained on the job. In addition, graduate hires can create a sustainable managerial/executive pipeline of high-potential talent.
In 2016 candidates are in the driver’s seat, often entertaining multiple job offers, workers are choosing the employer whose values align with their own and one that lays out a clear path to career advancement for them – making a strong employer brand critical to winning the best talent.
Companies hiring Millennials face the fact that they often demand to be advised of their proposed trajectory for several career moves within the organization, before accepting the job.