Job Trends Consumer Insights

Trend - Work culture is important to companies as it creates a sense of belonging for employees, contributing to their wellbeing and loyalty. As remote workers and freelancers increase in numbers, many businesses search for ways to expand their culture beyond the constraints of the office building through technology and third-party services.

Insight - The digitization of work has made it possible for employees to opt-in for remote work, which omits the stressors and distractions commonly found in the office environment. However, in doing so, these individuals are prone to feelings of isolation as they are removed from the sense of culture that is fostered in the workplace. Products and services that enable cultural connectivity allow remote consumers to partake in work-specific rituals, enabling them to feel more secure and included.

Trend - Brands are more openly calling attention to the sustainability training they provide for their employees and suppliers. These educational initiatives are largely outsourced, as corporate entities choose to rely on eco professionals for optimal success and up-to-date information.

Insight - Millennial and Gen Z consumers tend to make much of their purchasing decisions based on whether the brand values align with their personal belief systems. As conscious consumerism grows, many begin to broaden their demands for sustainability to not only be present in the products that they buy, but also to be better and more transparently embedded in corporate practices and training materials.

Trend - Brands are leveraging technology to streamline the onboarding process for freelancers, remote employees, and even clients. By bringing tasks like this online, employers are capable of facilitating a more supportive environment for all types of workers, particularly those who are new to the company.

Insight - Technology has disrupted the way we work by making it possible for individuals to work remotely, ultimately shattering geographical barriers and other obstacles. As the number of remote employees increases over time, a demand arises for better office-to-employee communication that will equip these individuals with the toolkit and support they need to feel fulfilled and comfortable in their position. As a result, many look for digital solutions to give employees peace of mind and successfully take them through crucial work processes.

Trend - Brands are offering service and product innovations that are temporary in nature to assist employees who are working from home. Whether it is cardboard-based furniture or a monthly subscription, these ventures prove to be accessible and cost-effective.

Insight - Working remotely for an employer results in its own unique obstacles, and individuals in this position have a strong need to feel valued at their company in a way that better replicates in-office experience. The act of assisting with the challenges of working from home has the potential to result in higher levels of efficiency, productivity, and loyalty as the employee feels fulfilled and supported throughout their day-to-day.

Trend - As in-person events become restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, various brands are launching virtual job fairs to find talent while maintaining social distancing regulations. These span from individual companies looking to fill new roles to talent recruiters seeking to meet candidates.

Insight - The COVID-19 pandemic has lead many consumers to struggle financially as many employers are forced to lay off staff and freelance work becomes more limited. These consumers are forced into an uncertain job market and lack the opportunity to meet employers in-person—significantly impacting traditional methods of job hunting. As a result, they are turning to brands to provide virtual opportunities to find employment from the safety of their homes.

Trend - Many developers are working alongside medical professionals to develop immersive mobile and multi-media games to help doctors in training. Emphasizing the practical experience and removing the fear of error, these gamified platforms are more accessible and engaging.

Insight - Many contemporary consumers maintain that immersion through gamified experiences makes content more memorable and engaging for them. In training, individuals who partake in such ventures—whether it is to identify the hazards of the job or for hands-on procedures—experience a sense of security as they feel more comfortable to test and practice their skills in a simulated and risk-free environment of trial-and-error.

Trend - The COVID-19 crisis has disproportionately affected women economically as many traditionally female-oriented jobs–like retail and childcare–were forced to close. To support this demographic, brands are launching funding, courses, and platforms to help women more easily re-enter the workforce.

Insight - Women, and in particular women of color, have been disproportionate discriminated in the workplace and unequal opportunities in the workplace. Now, women are also more likely to be responsible for child care duties as society continues to physical distance, limiting their scope of work. Informed consumers are increasingly dissatisfied with the failing systems that have long promoted gender inequalities and are pressuring brands and institutions to better support vulnerable people.

Trend - Retail stores and restaurants are addressing employee droughts by partnering with metaverse and AI companies to deploy on-site realistic avatars controlled by remote workers. This drastically expands the eligibility pool for employees while ensuring customer service remains a priority.

Insight - The core reason why many consumers still prefer shopping in stores rather than online is human interaction, the ability to get help from a knowledgeable retail representative. As businesses increasingly turn to self-service kiosks and AI-powered customer service systems, the benefits of brick-and-mortar shopping become lesser. As a result, stores have turned to 3D virtual avatars controlled by actual humans, which satiates consumers' needs to interact with a human retail representative while alleviating strain on workers.

Trend - As virtual reality becomes more prevalent in entertainment and remote work, companies look to make VR more convenient for offices or busy homes, resulting in mouth-covering masks that receive microphone inputs for VR while muting the speaker's voice to the actual surrounding world.

Insight - Virtual worlds aim to fully immerse users into the environment from a sensory standpoint. This includes visual and audio sensations. However, many users find that becoming immersed in VR can become disruptive to nearby people in the physical world, leading to users not wanting to speak loudly or behave normally out of respect for neighboring people. The introduction of mute masks for VR allows users to express themselves truly without disturbing coworkers, family members, or friends.

Trend - Laptop, tablet, and monitor brands in the computer hardware industry are using e-ink technology to create highly efficient displays. These displays consume less power, are more cost-effective, and are more durable when compared to IPS, OLED, or other display technologies.

Insight - As remote work becomes the norm, these workers turn to efficient, cost-effective hardware. Many remote workers do not require industry-leading performance and instead turn to reliability. Two of the most important factors with travel laptops are weight and battery life, particularly in cases where work consists only of typing, emailing, and web browsing. This does not apply to video editors and content creators, as these fields require demanding performance from computers. As traditional screen technologies such as IPS and TN approach minimum power consumption limits, manufacturers are turning to e-ink displays to better appease these remote workers' desires.