Recruitment buzzwords of 2023 and five words to watch for 2024

Every winter the Oxford University Press, and Merriam-Webster pick the words or phrases that sum up the flavour of that year. For Merriam-Webster, the word this year was ‘authentic’ highlighting the importance of truth in an era of deep fakes and misinformation. For the Oxford University Press (and most of social media), the word of 2023 was rizz, short for charisma.

The jobs market is both a canary for the economy, alerting people to what is happening through increased or decreased demand, and a reflection of society, feeding back what employees (or would-be employees) are wanting, or doing.

Shelley Kendrick, Managing Director, Kendrick Rose, said: “Buzz words are a bit of fun; however, they can touch on deeper trends in recruitment and the wider world of work. For most professionals working in Jersey, though, long term career prospects are what matters. We endeavour to help our candidates find roles that suit their long-term goals, and that meet the needs of local employers now, and as their businesses change and grow.”

Here are five words that sum up recruitment in 2023, along with some trends to look out for in 2024.

Bare Minimum Mondays

Bare Minimum Mondays were touted as Gen Z’s way of easing back into the work week after a dose of the Scary Sundays – the downer of realising the weekend is over. Like many of the terms introduced by Gen Z, this one rebounded on Tik Tok with tales of people doing very little at work on a Monday, whether working from home, or from a half-empty office.

Now the ‘cat is out of the bag’ anyone indulging in a start-of-the-week-skive, may need to readjust … and pick another day. Could Take it Easy Tuesdays or Taking the P*** Thursdays be trends to watch for 2024?

While everyone has a bad day every now and then, if it’s becoming a regular occurrence, you’d be advised to work out why. If it’s your personal life, your employer might be more sympathetic than you think, and many Employee Benefits Packages offer counselling or access to other support. Be honest with yourself though, if your job is no longer motivating you, maybe it’s time to look for a new challenge and move on.

AI

Since the launch of Chat GPT, AI, or Artificial Intelligence has been predicting what we might say faster than a human brain can even think it, let alone say it. Open AI had early mover advantage, however, the generative AI offerings from Microsoft (CoPilot) and Google (Bard) quickly ensured Artificial Intelligence has become embedded in most of our everyday lives.

Artificial Intelligence is likely to play an even greater role in workplaces over the next year, taking on more tasks from knowledge workers across professions as it becomes increasingly sophisticated.

In Jersey, AI has another meaning too - African Intelligence. Look around any restaurant or hospitality venue and you may notice significant numbers of employees from Kenya. Accountancy firms are also going large on African Intelligence, bringing over talent from their offices in various African jurisdictions to fill positions.

Jersey Exodus

Bob Marley may have sung about the Movement of the People, but in Jersey, the loss of working- age people after the pandemic was nothing to celebrate. The only question is whether some of those who left after cashing in on house price highs may be tempted to return now house prices have dropped.

Getting off the rock is beneficial for many of us at some point, especially when we are young and need new experiences to grow our careers, however, ‘the grass isn’t always greener.’

Teacher’s strikes here might not be fun for parents with school age children, yet, living somewhere you have to wait months to see a GP, can’t rely on trains, and have to deal with inconsiderate drivers, who have never even heard of filter in turn, is a reminder how much Jersey has to offer. A general election in the UK (VAT on school fees and possible tax rises) may also lead to an increase in folk wanting to move to or return to Jersey.

Look out for Boomerangs, as residents and employees try to find a way back.

The Big Stay

If 2022 was the year of The Great Resignation, as employees jumped into higher paying jobs to beat inflation, for some sectors, 2023 was potentially the year of The Big Stay. Tech firms laying of swathes of staff early in the year in the USA sent a strong message that what goes up, eventually comes down. In the UK and Europe, professional services firms tightened their wage bills. And in Jersey, growth was very specific.

Opportunities are still there for those with the right skills, but firms can be choosier. 2024 may be the year of The Great Regret if those who have jumped ship from a good firm to one with riskier prospects wish they had stayed put.

Employer Branding

Logos have been a go go this year as employers upped their branding across channels to help improve recognition and cement their positions as employers of choice.

Linked In has remained the key platform for recruitment, however, as it gets harder to stand out, organisations have had to get more creative.

If 2024 isn’t about Living the Dream, it will be about Living the Proposition, with employees wanting to see a real connect between how an employer presents the organisation and how they see it. While some call for greater transparency (another buzz word), it’s really about better communications, ensuring employers and employees are talking about the same thing, with the same language if they are to create a shared vision.