With Covid-19, most prior expectations for the employment picture were pretty much thrown out the window. A year has passed since workers began leaving offices to work remotely and industries started to shift strategies to adjust to a new reality: The job market for both full-time and contingent workers has altered in dramatic ways.

LinkedIn in January released its 2021 Jobs on the Rise report, which analyzed data to rank the fastest-growing job sectors based on a combination of growth in demand and raw number of jobs available. Kimberly Miller, LinkedIn’s head of search and staffing, spoke about the report’s findings and the impact of Covid-19 on the job market and the staffing industry.

Kimberly Miller
Head of Search & Staffing, North America, LinkedIn

What are the key takeaways from LinkedIn’s 2021 Jobs on the Rise report, and is there a trend or anything in the report that surprised you?

 A few things jumped out that reaffirmed what we were seeing and feeling in the market but were not foreseen pre-pandemic. The first was a pretty significant increase in education jobs, which we hadn’t seen in some time. For example, demand for tutors across the states rose 21%, which coincided with my own personal experience; being a mom with children who were staying home going through virtual learning, I had a professional tutor come in and support my children. I thought it was interesting others felt the same way.

The other component that I thought was compelling was that historically low interest rates were driving about a 60% increase in the need for loan and mortgage experts. This is obviously something you can’t predict pre-pandemic, but we are feeling and seeing the demand there as well.

Healthcare rose, of course, but that was something that we all anticipated. But seeing the spike in the report in the other two segments reaffirmed what many people were experiencing.

How is the rise of remote workforces affecting the hiring market?

Since February of 2020, there has been a 440% increase in remote job postings on LinkedIn, due to the pandemic. What’s interesting is that smaller metros are gaining the inflows of candidates, while larger cities are losing out. Many staffing firms — and companies in general — haven’t broadened their recruiting scope wide enough to identify talent outside of major metros. Some of those cities that have an influx of individuals with the skills that are in demand are Jacksonville, Florida; Salt Lake City; Sacramento, California; Milwaukee; and Kansas City, Missouri.

So, I would encourage those seeking talent to take a look at areas outside of the standard metros when looking to fill remote jobs. It’s about doing what it takes to attract and seek out the right candidates in these smaller locales, and not just hoping that these job posts are going automatically pull applicants in.

DE&I had been gaining steam pre-pandemic, but the events of 2020 thrust initiatives forward as priorities for companies. What are some of the aspects around DE&I jobs that you are seeing?

Our data shows the number of roles directly related to diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity across industries and sectors grew 71% between 2015 and 2020. That growth has been even more striking since the start of the pandemic — up 64% in 2020 year over year. We’re seeing more and more DIBE-related leadership roles and hires on LinkedIn. For example, the number of head of diversity roles has more than doubled since 2015, with 107% growth, while director of diversity has grown 75% and chief diversity officer is close behind, at 68% higher.

LinkedIn data also shows that having DIBE employee roles affects companies’ images as they are 22% more likely to be seen as industry leaders with high-caliber talent, and 12% more likely to be seen as having an inclusive workplace.

As a result, whereas DIBE roles have in the past often been nested within the HR and talent organizations, we’re now seeing more companies positioning DIBE as a key business function in its own right, reporting directly into the C-suite.

Reskilling is a big initiative among many companies in 2021. What light does the Jobs on the Rise report shed on the types of reskilling that staffing firms are undertaking, including specific jobs?

The pandemic accelerated a broader long-term move toward digital reliance and strategy, and from a skills perspective, this is putting additional emphasis on technology proficiency. The LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise report projects 150 million new tech jobs globally within the next five years, with jobs in artificial intelligence among the fastest-growing niches.

The top AI job titles right now are machine-learning researcher, machine-learning engineer, and AI specialist. Digital marketing and digital content creation roles are also gaining importance. The top skills involved in those roles include SEO, social media and marketing strategy. Data science and data engineer roles are seeing 35% annual growth, centered in the D.C., Chicago and Atlanta markets.

The overall job market is recovering, but slowly. In the meantime, where can staffing firms lean in to provide client value?

LinkedIn not only supports our staffing customers but also our corporate customers. As a result, we have our finger on the pulse of this. And the hottest topic right now for customers as far as problems they’re trying to solve is internal mobility. I think this is something that staffing has done well for so many years. And so, I think if they can help their customers — our corporate clients — define an internal mobility strategy, specifically identifying skills gaps within their existing talent portfolio, it would allow the staffing customers to plug in where there are gaps in their overall strategy, whether it’s regionally or skills-based as these customers propel forward staffing projects with the right people — both temps and perm.

When the pandemic hit, women were negatively impacted disproportionately in economic terms. Has the job market begun to turn around for women and in what ways can staffing firms contribute?

So, 2.2 million women left or lost their jobs between February and October of this past year. The silver lining is that today women comprise a higher percentage of new hires than before the pandemic, but of course there is still a gap, as those 2.2 million women haven’t fully returned to work due to a variety of reasons.

There are a handful of areas that women are looking to ensure they get what they need as they return to work. A recent survey we did highlighted four such areas: work-life balance, compensation and benefits, company culture, and flexible work arrangements. The staffing industry oftentimes is the consultant for our corporate customers. I believe if they can advise and assist those corporate customers in creating positions that incorporate those four areas of concern to women, they’ll be more likely to bring women with high potential back into the workforce.

The “greening” of the economy was a hot topic pre-pandemic. Are green jobs still a growing segment of the hiring market?

Absolutely. Not only are the jobs increasing, but so is the need for green skills in general. There are three industries that have the highest rate of not only green jobs, but green skills: manufacturing, healthcare and construction.

What advice do you have for staffing leaders in 2021?

We are not going back to the way things were. We have to consider that the new normal is going to include an environment in which we have to accept remote workforces. And so, it’s important to ensure that staffing firms are investing in technology that makes their employees more productive, and also re-evaluating policies around how we work. And in addition, adopt policies/arrangements that give workers more flexibility in order to create happy, retained employees. There are enough surveys out that there that outline the benefits of what an engaged workforce does for the bottom line.

To discuss how LinkedIn can help, please contact kmiller1@linkedin.com