LinkedIn, the powerhouse professional platform, has evolved into the globe’s premier hub for job seekers, networkers, and self-promoters alike.
But beyond being a virtual resume showcase, it wields unparalleled access to the chatter of approximately 1 billion workers spanning 200 countries.
From the job ads that grab their attention to the industries luring them in, LinkedIn is a goldmine of workforce insights.
Looking ahead to the unfolding year, LinkedIn predicts the trends set to shape the landscape of work in 2024.
You guessed it: Jobs will increasingly involve AI
Since ChatGPT exploded onto the scene in November 2022, AI has been the most contentious topic of 2023 with workers simultaneously fearing for their careers while also eyeing up newly created opportunities.
On LinkedIn alone, there’s been a 70% uptick in users writing about AI globally this year, meanwhile, job posts mentioning artificial intelligence have more than doubled in the last two.
‘Head of AI’ roles have tripled over the past five years, and the frantic buzz is not showing any signs of slowing down in 2024.
Instead, employees are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of adding AI skills to their repertoire and future-proofing their careers by joining the industry.
LinkedIn’s research shows that during the past two years job posts on the networking platform that mention AI or Generative AI received 17% higher application growth than job posts that do not mention AI.
“How we learn will need to evolve to keep up with the pace of change in the workplace, especially as we expect 65% of the skills needed to do a job will change by 2030,” Olivier Sabella, Vice President, EMEA & LATAM of LinkedIn Talent Solutions tells Fortune.
For businesses, it means it’s high time to start thinking about how to include AI in their upcoming roles or risk losing top talent.
“It’s clear that AI will continue to accelerate workplace change in 2024, and we will see business leaders not just implementing the technology to improve productivity and remove some of the drudgery from day-to-day work, but also figuring out how to equip their workforce with the skills they will need to make the most of these advancements,” Sabella adds.
Hybrid work isn’t going anywhere
Although most CEOs think we’ll be sat at desks 5 days a week within 3 years and many have been clamping down on return-to-office mandates, LinkedIn’s data suggests their expectations don’t match with reality.
Good news for those who dread the thought of returning to a pre-pandemic normal: The availability of hybrid roles—a happy medium, where employees can work from home for part of the week—has grown globally on the networking platform.
Take the U.K. for example: Around half of job ads on the platform are listed as hybrid and this figure has been increasing every month, according to LinkedIn.
In comparison, just a third of the roles advertised in August 2022 offered hybrid working.
“We will see this trend persist in 2024 as companies continue to move to hybrid options as a way of balancing employees’ demand for increased flexibility with employers’ desire for office attendance,” Sabella predicts.
Green hiring will continue to rise
The global push to become better stewards of the earth is expected to create millions of new “green collar” jobs.
Already, wind turbine technician roles are the fastest growing in America right now, with employment in the sector expected to almost double over the next decade.
So it’s no surprise that LinkedIn similarly saw a surge in employers looking to hire people with green skills in 2023.
The only problem? Most workers don’t have them, especially women.
Only 1 in 8 workers globally have the green skills companies are looking for (like environmental science and eco-design), LinkedIn found. This disparity is particularly pronounced among women, with 90% lacking any green skills or relevant work experience.
“As green hiring continues to rise in 2024, there are actions businesses can take to grow the green labor market,” Sabella says. “This includes businesses having an in-depth understanding of the skills their workforce needs to implement tailored and targeted reskilling programs.
“For professionals, they should focus on strengthening their digital and STEM skills as our data shows these will increase workers’ chances of successfully transitioning into green jobs.”
