If last year is any indication of what we can expect in terms of volatility, 2019 is ripe for disruption. The convergence of an increasingly competitive talent market and a thinning labor supply have already put companies on high alert. Evolving technologies, shifting government regulations and the maturation of the gig economy threaten to exacerbate these problems in ways that even the most forward-thinking analysts and economists can’t wholly predict. Throughout our series we’ve focused on a few of the major areas of change that could affect recruiting this year. We close our 2019 Recruiting Ideas series with a smattering of changes that could have major repercussions over the next 11 months.

Artificial Intelligence Goes Exponential

If you’re tired of hearing the term “AI” thrown around, then consider this phrase “information technology.” In the late 60s and early 70s, the industrial world was being inundated with this phrase along with a host of other crazy ideas like the “office computer,” “computer science” and “business software.” Terms that today are so mundane were once the frightening buzzwords of their time. Artificial intelligence is such an idea. It has inspired fanatical overuse and has overloaded our imaginations with futuristic fantasies. However, none of this changes the fact that AI is a tool that is growing beyond comprehension. Its applications are virtually limitless, and its current effect on the way companies hire and do business is only a thin fraction of its capabilities. We can expect to see the incorporation and advancement of AI to only continue at increasing rates, changing the business landscape in ways we simply can’t predict.

Big Tech Will Clash With Big Gov

The obscure nature of various segments of the tech industry have long allowed companies to avoid and evade taxation and regulation. In 2017 and 2018 we witnessed this come to a head with increased pressure to limit the ways Amazon and other e-retailers avoid state and local taxes on goods purchased. This elevated attention is spurred by an increasing public demand to better regulate tech giants. In years recent we have witnessed a shift of public pressure from the financial sector to the tech industry. Rising demands for greater accountability of tech companies will no doubt have a resonating effect on both how the industry selects talent and how the most talented professionals decide which companies they want to work for.

The Gig Economy Goes Full-time

The analyses, predictions and outcomes of the gig economy have been consistently off the mark. Expected to undo the way we define work, the gig economy seemed to have succumbed to its own erratic nature. As the hardships of gig work made headlines, it appeared that the forecast of a job market dominated by gigs were to be quickly dispelled. But the instead of dying, the gig economy has repositioned itself to lead the way in a new generation of employee treatment. Companies that once had reaped the benefits of 1099 labor are now coming to terms with the reality that poor treatment and harsh working conditions has eroded their labor supply and, by default, customer loyalty. Other companies like Enjoy, a technology delivery and setup company, have altered their perception of gig workers, employing them as full-time workers complete with stock options and benefits. While this may nullify the idea of a “gig economy,” it is clear that there will be a change to how organizations recruit for and retain this unique segment.

As much as we’ve shared with you over the past few weeks, there is much more that we couldn’t fit in. Change has always been a mainstay in the business world, but heightened technologies have allowed changes to occur so rapidly they are, at times, almost imperceptible. What is clear is that we are experiencing a conflux of factors, from generational shifts to altered perceptions of acceptable business practices. These factors are driving changes in a myriad of ways, eliminating the ability to model predictions on a linear scale. This requires a new way of assessing how businesses will operate, and more specifically, how they will approach their hiring needs. Even the most experienced and industry-specific recruiters will face new hurdles erected by increasingly efficient technologies. Recruiters Websites has itself adjusted to these impending changes by repositioning ourselves within the web design market. With an expanded array of marketing offerings to accompany our advanced website production efforts, we keep our clients ahead of their competitors and at the forefront of change.