Nine Trends That Will Shape Our Careers in 2021

After spending the year cut off from our broader social networks, people are hungry for community. As a result, I expect we’ll see several ed-tech companies try to leverage the power of social learning to drive better education and business outcomes.

When we look at the economic trends accelerated by COVID, there are some worrisome signs for labor. A recent McKinsey survey showed that since the pandemic, 67% of companies are accelerating the adoption of automation technology (fewer jobs), 70% of companies are hiring more independent contractors (fewer benefits), and two times as many companies ... See more

In our age of remote work, it’s harder for knowledge workers to learn from one another. Whereas once it was easy to observe co-workers navigate problems by peering over their shoulders or jamming on a whiteboard, now their work has been rendered invisible. What will emerge to fill this gap? One answer is Twitch. Ben Pieratt, a brand designer, launc... See more

From language barriers to illegible foreign credentials and esoteric local regulations, it’s no wonder most hiring happens at a local level. But as work continues to go remote in 2021, hiring will go global.

Modern freelance marketplaces allow companies to hire freelance experts much faster than traditional methods. Rather than having to wait months, managers can use talent marketplaces to get help in a matter of hours. In the coming years, I expect on-demand talent will be an increasingly popular channel for filling open positions.

Historians will look back on 2020 as the year we moved our lives onto the internet.

Investors would never choose to invest in just one company; the risk is too concentrated. Instead, they build portfolios. Over time, workers will invest their time in a similar way.

In the coming decade, career success will depend much less on your physical location than where you spend time online. That means that getting into the right group chats and online communities has never been more important.