2011 Hiring and Employment Trends

Monday, January 10th, 2011

What to Expect in the Coming Year

As 2011 kicks off with a glimmer of optimism about the economy, there are a number of indications that hiring will increase among growing companies, especially when it comes to contract work and freelance opportunities. Consider the following:

• 34 percent of employers plan to hire contract workers and temporary staff in 2011. Entrepreneurs, startups and other growing companies have long been reliant on contract help, freelancers, temporary staff and interns and it looks like 2011 is no different.

• For those seeking full time employment, contract work or temporary positions can be a great way to transition into a more permanent job, with 39 percent of employers stating their plan to transition contract or temporary staff into full time hires. Internships also provide excellent opportunities for those in the job market seeking a foot in the door.

• Marketing continues to be an area where businesses are turning to freelance talent, especially in areas such as search engine optimization, social media marketing and search engine marketing. Our data indicates the same trend, with a rise in social media positions by over 50 percent in the last six months. This number continues to climb.

• Businesses both large and small will adopt more robust online tools such as shared digital workrooms, real time collaboration and telepresence. These tools are one of the many reasons why hiring virtual interns, virtual freelancers and virtual employees makes sense for businesses of just about any size.

• Virtual offices and co-working will thrive in 2011 as savvy small-business owners and entrepreneurs figure out they can have access to enterprise level amenities at a fraction of the cost.

• Business goes social: Social buying became all the rage in 2010 while demand for social media skills was on the rise. In 2011, we can expect to see the social graph become even more important in hiring and recruiting. This is just one more reason that employers and job –seekers alike need to carefully monitor their social profiles.