Changes to Workforce

Workforce, along with Work and Workplace as changed as espoused in the CIPD report (Megatrends, 2012). The work force today is more knowledge base, education background further there are issues of diversity in terms of ethnicity, age, gender personality and sexual orientation in today’s workplace suggests (Hatipoglu, B., and Inelmen, 2017). 

Age differences are a major cause for concern as there is a shortage of skilled workforce and in the West more older generation workers are returning back as the retirement age by choice has reduce to 50 years in countries such as France, Italy, UK and other European countries. Retirees are returning back to work men and women int the west and Japan.

Employers are wooing back female workers after their temporary break from work either to look after young children or due to marriage. However, analysts are of the view that a large number of such women are not hired back as organizations don’t have systems and processes to hire them back in Asia (Mesure, 2017). 

Women too look for flexibility, tele-commuting and part-time work as this would support work-life-balance with perhaps children who are growing and schooling. One report suggest that over 72% of the women in their survey of nine Asian countries take a break from work. (Lee, 2017)

All of these and other factors such as technological changes a Plethora of changes such as internet connectivity, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Mobile technologies are changing the way that work is organized. A good point of view would be to see how HRM itself has changed in that the HR function is getting technology Savvy it uses online platforms to hire, Electronic Integrated Human Resource Information Systems eHRM is commonly in use today than a few years ago. 

HRM manager depend on Big Data Analytics. Virtual remote teams (Angrave , et el, 2016) Additionally, today young employees are technology savvy and use various mobile devices such as smartphones and tabs requiring HR to implement various policies and systems to ensure security and confidentiality at work. These are the changing Trends of workforce in the 21^st century.

Reference:

1. Angrave, D., Charlwood, A., Kirkpatrick, I., Lawrence, M. and Stuart M. (2016) ‘HR and analytics: why HR is set to fail the big data challenge’. Human Resource Management Journal 26: 1, 1–11

2. Hatipoglu, B., and Inelmen, K., (2017) Demographic diversity in the workplace and its impact on employee voice: the role of trust in the employer.  The International Journal of Human Resource Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2017.1322120

3. Mesure, S., (2017) Women Head Back to Work with ‘Returnships’: Employers spot the chance to lure back talented former executives. Financial Times Feb 21^st, 2017. https://www.ft.com/content/16ef6eb2-9a8d-11e6-8f9b-70e3cabccfae.

4. Lee, E., (2017) More firms wooing moms back to work. The Newspaper. April, 4^th, 2017. https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/more-firms-wooing-mums-back-work