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How Spot On Were My 2002 Workplace Predictions?

Guest post by: Terri Levine

Article Overview: A bit of fun. In 2002 I made some workplace predictions which I recently revisited to see how on track I was. Why don't you check it out. Was I on course?

How Spot On Were My 2002 Workplace Predictions?



I talk to all kinds of people, many working in the corporate world, and many more leaving it to stand - or fall - on their own. Predictions I made back in 2002 about the workforce are becoming more apparent with each passing year. If in doubt that the structure of the workplace is still undergoing massive changes, here are my 2002 predictions and you will see that these predicted trends are becoming more and more obvious. * I said as high as 90% of white-collar jobs will no longer exist or will be changed so that they no longer resemble the original role.

New methods and technology are doing away with some positions, while with many companies downsizing, some positions are being blended into one.

* Electronic data management will continue to change the way businesses operate and processes that used to require many people/hours to perform will continue to be performed automatically with new technology. This will ensure a continued requirement for experts in the field of electronic data system design and management, and also mean the further reduction in traditional positions such as in the clerical, secretarial, and printing/publication fields to name a few examples.

This has become so obvious, no statement is required!

* There will be an increased need for specialized positions such as operations and performance management, marketing, and more analytical skills including managerial accounting, cost management, and change management.

So true!

* The emphasis on competing commercial activities under the 2001 FAIR Act is also changing how the workforce is utilized. A few years back it was reported in some States that The Office of Management and Budget had issued instructions for the preparation of the FAIR Act Inventory that will result in more positions being subject to competition and potential outsourcing under A-76 requirements. Contracting out is part of the future plan and is a process that is being adopted by government bodies and private enterprise on a global scale. Two services areas which have been outsourced for a while are catering and cleaning.

More and more workers are working from home offices as this trend, now proven, catches on.

* Traditional white-collar roles will become more project-based, with more

individuals acting as freelancers on a contract basis.

Great news for people who previously were unemployable because they were "too old" or "too young".

* More people will leave corporate careers to become entrepreneurs.

True, and we'll continue to see more of this.

* Generation Xers will be more likely to work for themselves rather than trust their career and future success to a company who can and will put them out of work when it suits them, as has been done to many Gen Xer's parents.

Many of them are doing this and the rest are job-hopping their way to reach personal goals.

* People will go through a continual process of doing one thing, returning for education, doing something new, returning to education, and doing something different again, and so on.

Many of my clients are in this process. The trend will continue.

* Another emerging trend is that of specialization among professionals, with new professions sprouting from the old along with new standards of accepted performance and qualification.

That's progress and we'll continue to see more of it.

* More women will enter the freelance field, finding they can be successful entrepreneurs in a range of fields now open to them thanks to the internet and advances in telecommunications. This will mean many women with families who are currently working full time positions will elect to work for themselves from home, as many are doing right now. Thanks largely to the internet, workers are no longer restricted to working for businesses "close to home" and many do work for overseas clients in all parts of the world.

Popular fields right now are Coaching and that of the Virtual Assistant.

* As more businesses offer employees work-from-home opportunities, more workers will take up this option and find it preferable because it saves time in commuting to/from the job, saves money in travel costs and child care and office clothing expenses, reduces their daily stress, and permits them a new sense of freedom and self empowerment.

Slowly, but surely, more companies continue to trial this and many companies are outsourcing meaning those employees become permanent, SELF EMPLOYED home workers.

* The relatively new career of coaching will continue to become a major entrepreneurial option for many professionals, and in the final quarter of 2002 alone, there will be more and more professionals entering coach training programs.

As the Founder of a Coach Training School, I can vouch for this one, and even today, 2012, the number of coaches around the world is mind boggling and the profession is accepted.

* The trend will continue that there will be a migration towards higher skilled roles and higher, multi-skilled contract freelancers and entrepreneurs, because despite many Government efforts to encourage businesses to invest in the development of their workforces and train them, businesses have not taken to this to the degree anticipated and have found other means of meeting their "needs", in addition to which, they are finding it is more cost effective to sack their permanent staff and replace them with qualified freelancers on an as-need basis, and only the lucky employees who remain will receive any worthwhile training benefits. It's much cheaper for businesses to bring in a professional as and when needed rather than maintain one on a permanent basis.

Which is why we're seeing more freelancers, contractors and entrepreneurs and outsourcing is now a way of life!

* Older employees are stressed with the new uncertain conditions relating to their own positions in the workforce. Change is often happening too rapidly for them to keep up. Many highly qualified and experienced workers are getting out while the going is good to set up their own business, or being forced to do something like this if they have fallen victim to a downsizing exercise.

Another reason why we're seeing more freelancers, contractors, consultants and new entrepreneurs!

* The number of retirees will drop off as it becomes more and more acceptable for them to move from job to job, start their own business and basically, remain active. Rather than be seen as past their use-by date, their value will increase due to their knowledge and experience.

Many people are choosing to retire earlier and operate a home business, too... as Coaches, Consultants, Virtual Assistants or operate a home based web business.

* More individuals and businesses are and will continue to hire career and business coaches to keep up with the demands of the modern workforce and business trends, and those holding Master's Degrees in coaching will have a definite advantage as the trend towards attaining higher skill levels and qualifications continues to grow and businesses and individuals continue to lean towards the more highly skilled ‘experts' when seeking expert professional help.

I can vouch for this growing trend - it's why more and more people continue to become Coaches - there is plenty of work for them.

* Already, higher education centers and universities are advertising that if you are tired of your current job/career, come back to school and learn something new. This IS the way of the future and we can expect more in 2003 and onwards.

We have been seeing more of this every year since. Reinventing yourself is now an accepted passage in life.

* A current trend which is likely to continue and grow is for people to hold down more than one part time/contract job, working hours and doing roles which suit their lifestyle and financial needs.

This trend will continue. Younger employees today place a higher value on a balanced lifestyle, moreso than a high income range.

So basically, the modern method of career planning is whatever you want it to be. The choices and options are changing and widening and more and more individuals and businesses are taking advantage.

Well, almost ten years have passed and my 2002 predictions have been spot on. If you want to succeed in the future, make a few educated predictions of your own and set your goals!

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Article Tags: career changes, changes, workplace predictions



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