Quiet quitting is over: What employers and workers are seeking this year

Good morning!

Talk of layoffs and an economic slowdown may seem discouraging for job hunters, but employers are still hiring and many are looking beyond credentials, diplomas and technical skills to fill roles.

Close to half of Canadian business owners are planning to add staff to fill persistent job vacancies or meet increased sales demand, even though many expect to pull back on overall investment, according to the Bank of Canada’s latest business outlook survey. Owners might be feeling more pessimistic — most think we’ll enter a recession this year — but that hasn’t erased the almost one million open positions still waiting to be filled. 

Indeed, 40 per cent of employers are still intent on hiring, if only they could find the right candidates, says a recent survey by recruiter Express Employment Professionals. It’s not technical skills they’re necessarily looking for, given that nearly a third of them say they’re looking but can’t find people with crucial soft skills, including an eagerness to learn, dependability, problem-solving capacity and adaptability. Strong communication skills, a willingness to take initiative, critical thinking and the ability to fit in with colleagues are also top of mind for hiring managers.

What’s more, employers say they are willing to train people who have such skills to take on more technical roles, according to research by CERIC, a non-profit career development organization. That’s good news for anyone seeking out personal growth or a new job this year, says Candy Ho, board chair at CERIC, and an assistant professor of careers at the University of Fraser Valley.

“It’s more important than ever to focus on the transferrable skills we have, so that if our life priorities or circumstances have changed, we can think about pivoting,” she says, adding that companies are “looking for people who have a strong work ethic, who have a great attitude, who are willing to learn and who are adaptable and resilient.”

Workers appear ready to focus on building some of those skills. Last year was marked by trends such as languishing, a low-grade malaise from pandemic life that also permeated people’s jobs, and quiet quitting, a viral term for doing the minimum required. But there are signs employees are ready to get down to work this year. Adam Grant, the professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania who came up with “languishing,” says he thinks the mood has shifted. People are “not just bouncing back, but bouncing forward,” he says.

Similarly, Google searches for “quiet quitting” have flatlined after peaking in September. That’s another possible signal that people are ready to put a bit more effort into growing their skills and careers.

For some, that may mean going back to school to gain credentials needed for a new profession. However, demand is also high for roles that require little technical training but still pay well, Randstad Canada says in a report on 2023’s top job trends. Though technical positions in health care, technology and skilled professions such as accounting made the list, others like warehouse worker, customer service representative, driver and sales associate are also in high demand. Those jobs pay more than one might think. For example, a customer service representative may earn between $43,000 and $74,000 a year, a driver may make up to $65,000, and a sales associate could command $46,000 to $84,000.

“It’s interesting to see that a degree isn’t the only path to steady employment and a secure income,” Nick Montesano, executive vice-president of Central Region at Randstad Canada, said in a news release.

Still, money isn’t the only thing people are looking for when they decide to find a new job, Ho says. The pandemic has shifted expectations about what employees want from their working lives, with many seeking to accommodate personal or family situations. That may include needing to take on the caregiving of elderly parents, or wanting the freedom to drop off and pick up their kids from school. Ho says those are fair expectations because work has become increasingly integrated with our personal lives. For example, it’s no longer abnormal to see a work laptop in the kitchen, enabling workers to answer emails before sitting down to dinner.

“During the pandemic … employees have not only been given freedom, but they earned it,” Ho says. “We have been able to show that working online … we are using our time a lot better. The Elon Musks of the world who don’t recognize that are all of a sudden going to be losing good people.”

Of course, the conversation goes two ways and employers have expectations that must be met, too. But the shift offers bosses and their staff the opportunity to work together to create flexible environments that promote productivity, well-being and meaning — a win for all involved.

The start of a new year, of course, is a good time for workers to begin developing their soft skills or finding another job. Ho suggests people use the pandemic as a reflection point and come up with a list of priorities before expanding the discussion to peers, possible mentors or a career development professional.

Maybe 2023 will be the year we put all that quiet quitting to rest and focus on growth, allowing more employers to finally fill some of those long-vacant roles with candidates who have such hard-to-find soft skills.

— Victoria Wells, senior editor, Financial Post, and FP Work editor 

Do you have thoughts, suggestions or comments you’d like to share with us at FP Work? Please send an email to [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.

Remote work ‘doesn’t work’ for younger staff, bosses: Jamie Dimon

Economic uncertainty has increased concerns among workers that bosses could use return-to-office mandates as a reason to let people go, even as the broader job market remains strong. Last week, JPMorgan Chase & Co. chief executive Jamie Dimon gave employees more reason to worry in his latest rant about remote work. He said working from home “doesn’t work” for younger employees or managers. But he did acknowledge it could help women.

FLEXIBILITY AT RISK

• More reading: ‘We have passed peak remote’: Fewer jobs let you work entirely from home, survey shows

Companies pivot to wooing older workers amid retirement exodus

An exodus of older people from the workforce is a key factor in labour shortages plaguing businesses in the United Kingdom. Now, more companies have started to recognize the value of older workers. That’s pushed them to make jobs more appealing to the over 50 set, whether by offering flexible hours, support for those with health conditions, career progression or simply by making workplaces more inclusive for those whose motivation to work is as much about social interaction as salary.

‘WORK NEEDS TO CHANGE’

Recessions are traditionally associated with job losses since companies become cautious and trim their costs. But this time, businesses will need to balance a softening economy with labour shortages. Trevin Stratton, national lead and partner at Deloitte Canada, speaks to Larysa Harapyn about what to expect from the labour market going forward. 

WATCH THE VIDEO

Employee forced to pay back wages for ‘time theft’ won’t be the last

Working from home can be abused and even lead to time theft. After all, if employees can do whatever they want without supervision, some might find it an irresistible temptation to conduct more pleasurable non-work activities when they are supposed to be working. The issue of time theft arose in one recent decision for wrongful dismissal in British Columbia. Legal expert Howard Levitt has the details and offers his takeaways for employees and companies. 

SLACKING OFF

• More Levitt: This B.C. case involving a Chinese airline shows how not to fire an employee

Was this newsletter forwarded to you?

Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Ontario Teachers’ raises threshold for women on boards to 40%

Recession or soft landing? Economists divided as economy, labour market prove resilient

Jacinda Ardern is the latest high achieving woman to say she’s quitting over burnout

Google to slash 12,000 jobs — 6% of its global workforce

Four-day workweek gaining mainstream momentum in corporate Canada: poll

Hootsuite to cut 7% of staff in third set of layoffs

Surge of discount airlines exacerbating Canada’s existing pilot shortage: experts

Microsoft, Amazon set to erase 28,000 jobs as tech slump deepens

Women’s tech collective Toast launches with aim to diversify hiring, reduce wage gaps

‘I’m tired of being anxious’: Amazon HR staffers go from hiring to publicly seeking jobs themselves

Lightspeed reneges on boast to keep hiring, cuts 300 workers

FP Work is all about teamwork. In addition to the contributions from our top-notch columnists and reporters, recognition goes to the FP web team, which includes Pamela Heaven, Noella Ovid and Gigi Suhanic.

Sign up here for this and other FP newsletters, and please send us your feedback, tips and story ideas.