Trends In The Workplace

(taken from

What trends will affect me and my work? No person can exist in isolation from social, economic and technological trends. Your career/life choices and decisions are shaped by what is happening around you.

1.Globalization

What does globalization "look like?" Here’s an example. A Canadian clothing manufacturer:

  • has a dress designed in Australia.
  • buys fabric from China.
  • has the dress sewn in Mexico.
  • warehouses the dress in Canada.
  • sells it in North American and Europe.

What happens in some far-off place may not seem important, but it could have a major effect on your work opportunities.

As more Canadian companies do business in the fast-moving international marketplace, they must:

  • compete with companies around the world.
  • become more productive by finding ways to do things more cheaply.
  • be able to change direction quickly to respond to the marketplace.
  • meet the needs of a wide range of customers.
  • be able to hire quickly and lay off quickly as needed.

What does this mean for you? Expect to:

  • Find more "out-sourced" jobs as companies use contract workers rather than permanent employees.
  • Be part of a team at work. Teams can respond efficiently to change.
  • See greater emphasis on customer service and satisfaction, often in different languages and time zones.
  • Be knowledgeable about how world trends will affect your field of career interest.
  • Be flexible because world events move quickly.

2.Computers Everywhere!

The computer has found its way into every part of our lives. They are on our desks. They run the robots on production lines. They are part of items such as our cars, our wristwatches, our microwaves. Developing computer know-how will be essential for your work life.

Computerization is changing the way organizations operate.

  • Traditional work is disappearing. You’ll find computerized machines operating machinery for banking, parts assembly, warehouse inventory, truck and taxi dispatching, driver license renewals.
  • New jobs are being created to develop and run computer hardware, software and computer networks.
  • Computers are also creating new technologies which are, in turn, creating new types of work that never existed before.

What does this mean for you? Expect to:

  • Be able to work on a computer or run a computerized machine.
  • Find increasing work opportunities in fields such as computer repair and information technology.
  • Be constantly learning. Technology is changing so quickly that you’ll have to continually upgrade your work-related skills.
  • Be adaptable. As technology advances, your work will constantly change.

3.Growth of the Net

Possibly be offered work that involves telecommuting, also known as teleworking. If this happens, you will work by computer at home or in a satellite office

There are two types of commonly used Web-based networks:

  • The Internet is a public network accessible to anyone with a computer and modem. It is expanding at a rapid rate with millions of people coming on-line every year.
  • An Intranet is a private network developed by a company for its own in-house use. Organizations have Intranets to communicate more quickly with their employees.

B2B , which stands for "business to business," is a new on-line industry. Here’s an example. A truck manufacturer buys its parts from Supply Company A. The truck manufacturer decides it needs more supplies of a particular part.

  • Before B2B, an employee would have called an order clerk at Supply Company A who, in turn, would fill out a supply form and send copies to the billing, production and distribution departments.
  • With B2B , the employee goes on-line to Supply Company’s special Web site (called an Extranet) and orders the part. Information is automatically sent to the right departments.

Growth of Internet/Intranet use is affecting the way companies do business. Organizations can now:

  • find opportunities in the International marketplace.
  • know more about their competition in Canada and around the world.
  • advertise to global audiences through Web sites.
  • sell their products/services to global customers. This is called e-commerce.
  • use e-mail as a way to communicate with employees, suppliers and buyers.

What does this mean for you? Expect to:

  • Be able to handle increasing amounts of information.
  • Need excellent communication skills.
  • Find types of work that never existed before
  • Be continuously upgrading your technology skills.

4.Small Business Grows Big

It used to be that only very large businesses had the financial means to compete in the marketplace. But computerization and use of the Internet has given small organizations the tools to be part of the global marketplace. In Canada, more jobs are being created by small businesses than large corporations.

Small businesses are growing faster than their bigger counterparts. Why?

  • The Internet allows small companies to advertise equally with big companies.
  • They can profit in specialized markets--markets too small for big business that has to sell to millions of people to be profitable.
  • Small organizations can change quickly if necessary. It’s hard for a big business to "turn on a dime."
  • Small organizations can be more innovative, particularly with respect to technology. Because a small company can change quickly, it can take advantage of new ideas faster than a big one.

What does this mean for you? Expect to:

  • Find more work opportunities with small companies.
  • Be able to handle increased responsibilities on the job. Employees in small companies usually have many tasks.
  • Learn how to be multi-skilled. You will have varied tasks requiring different kinds of skills.
  • Be knowledgeable about the "big picture" of your industry and employer, not just your particular area of work.

5.Service Based Industries

Canada’s prosperity used to be based on its natural resources and industries such as mining, agricultural and lumber. Today, those industries are much less important in our economy. Today, service-based industries are thriving. The aging of our population, increasing computerization and the Internet is creating growth in traditional service industries and creating new ones. Some examples of service-based industries are:

  • health care
  • tourism
  • recreation
  • environmental protection
  • telecommunications
  • computer software design

Since service-based industries tend to use the just-in-time work force, expect to:

  • Find more part-time and contract work opportunities.
  • Work at multiple jobs or have multiple contracts in order to earn a full-time salary.
  • Discover greater opportunities for self-employment.

6.The Just-In-Time Workforce

Because of trends such as globalization, companies can’t afford to have full-time permanent employees do all the work required. Therefore, they are looking for people that they can hire temporarily. These workers are known as the just-in-time work force. The growth of this work force means that you are likely to find more work opportunities in non-standard jobs such as:

  • Part-time work
  • Job-sharing
  • Self-employment options such as short-term contract work, consulting, talent pooling and work-sharing

What does this mean for you? Check out the pros and cons.

  • Pros
  • More opportunity for self-employment.
  • More flexible work schedules and independence.
  • More freedom to choose who you work for.
  • Chance to have many work experiences and gain new skills.
  • Develop a wide variety of work contacts for your network.
  • May be able to earn more than the annual salary of a full-time employee doing similar work.
  • Cons
  • No guaranteed annual salary from one employer.
  • No work security.
  • No pension benefits.
  • No health or dental benefits.
  • No sick leave.
  • No vacation pay.

7.Lifelong Learning

In today’s workplace, employees are expected to be multi-skilled and able to perform a variety of tasks.

  • Some of these tasks are specifically work-related such as the ability to do carpentry or wire a computer.
  • Others are more general to the workplace such as your ability to work with a team or communicate well with others.

What does this mean for you?

That you must commit to a life of upgrading your skills and learning new ones.