Video: How Managers Can Best Motivate Top-Performers

Top-performing employees are a critical force at your company, capable of 400 percent greater productivity than the average worker, according to research published in Personnel Psychology. Beyond their personal output, top talent inspire and motivate other employees to do their best work.

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Despite their production and leadership capabilities, top performers need to be motivated too, and this is largely the responsibility of the manager. As the Harvard Business Review notes, top talent at an organization are often defined as such in part because they have the technical skills and interpersonal adeptness to do their managers' jobs. This in turn makes them more sensitive to areas where management falls short. “High-performing employees are also motivated by different types of recognition, incentives and management styles than other workers,” said Anne Hayden, vice president of human resources for MRINetwork. “As a result, supervisors need to make a constant, conscious effort to engage top-performing employees in the specific ways that appeal to them most.”

Hayden recommends four ways managers can increase motivation among top-performing talent:

1. Give regular feedback

Top performers are engaged in continuous learning, constantly looking for ways to sharpen their abilities, expand their skill sets and take on new responsibilities. If top talent have to wait around until their annual performance review to hear feedback, they're going to feel that their professional development is being stymied. Conversely, regular communication helps top-performing employees feel that their managers are invested in helping them succeed.

2. Practice career pathing

A major reason top performers leave their jobs is because they feel like there's no room for them to grow. However, helping them develop, and then follow a road map to where they want to be in the company can quell this frustration and unleash their motivation level: This is career pathing in a nutshell. By working together to help a top-performer advance, employees feel greater ownership over their careers and managers can align the individual's professional goals with the strategic goals of the company, thereby simultaneously boosting employee engagement levels and improving succession planning.

3. Encourage mentoring

Mentoring goes along with career pathing, as it is an effective way to develop top-performers for upper-level roles. A study by the American Society for Training & Development found that 71 percent of Fortune 500 companies use internal mentoring programs to train top performers with high potential. Mentors share valuable insights with mentees, not only on business knowledge, but also on important soft skills like how to effectively communicate with a range of stakeholders or efficiently manage teams. These relationships help top performers develop a more robust understanding of their company, its workforce and its industry. Mentorship motivates top-performers by demonstrating that the company is committed to their success.

4. Don't micromanage

Most employees don't want to be micromanaged, but top performers are especially sensitive to it as they consistently show that they not only excel in their job duties but also regularly go above and beyond what's expected of them. Instead of interfering with top talent's day-to-day work, take a step back and learn from them, advises Jeff Miller in a blog for HR services company Insperity. Top performers often have created novel workflows and unique processes that save time, increase output or improve performance. Smart managers are open to change and feel excited, not threatened by, ambitious employees with new ideas. They're genuinely curiously about how top performers work and are eager to have conversations with them about how to adopt their ideas on a larger scale. This recognition makes top performers feel appreciated and motivates them to continue innovating.

“Top-performing employees are vital to your company's success, and managers play a big role in influencing whether they'll want to stick around,” concluded Hayden. “With these tips, supervisors can help top talent flourish, instead of holding them back.”

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com

Video: The benefit of unrehearsed answers and how to get them in an interview

By the time a candidate is brought in for an interview, initial screening through a resume and frequently a phone interview, have already warranted them a good match for your company - on paper that is. The objective of bringing the applicant into the office for an interview, is to get a clearer picture of their personality, work ethic and values. To do so, you'll need to elicit open, honest answers from the candidate.

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Any candidate that makes it to the in-person interview stage is capable of doing their research, preparing for questions and prepping answers they believe the employer wants to hear. While this demonstrates commitment of time and consideration prior to the interview, you also want to ensure that the potential hire can think on their feet.

As Nancy Halverson, general manager of franchise operations for MRINetwork explained, the best way to draw unrehearsed answers is to ask unanticipated questions. “A few standard questions may be necessary to equal the playing field among candidates,” said Halverson. “However, asking targeted and unexpected questions during an interview can produce genuine, natural responses that are more indicative of the job seeker’s true character.”

Halverson recommends considering the following unanticipated questions to find top talent who are the best cultural fits for you and your company:

1. What were you doing on your very best day at work?

As Fast Company reported, Lori Goler, head of people at Facebook asks most candidates this question who interview with the social media giant. She explained that it’s a question that reveals a candidate’s strengths and talents, which can then be compared against the company’s needs.

Required to think critically and dig deep, interviewees will likely land on a day when they were the last one in the office, solving a long-existing problem or making a crucial breakthrough on a project. These snapshots into their past work experience can provide insight on how they will contribute to your company’s bottom line and succeed in their career. Keep in mind however, that even non-monumental examples can be indicative of solid, consistent work ethic.  

2. What was the most interesting encounter you’ve had in the past few months?

This unexpected interview question serves two purposes. First, you’ll discover how the candidate responds and reflects on an experience that stood out to them. Was it an inspiring conversation with a homeless man? Or was it a tech discovery that unlocked a helpful shortcut? The encounter they choose, as well as their response, may demonstrate innovation, problem-solving or any other number of skills important to the job in question.

Secondly, the answer to this question will draw out creativity in top recruits. Important attributes for any successful employee, are creative thinking and the ability to ask questions, as CEO of the American Heart Association Nancy Brown told Fortune. Engaging in conversation and analysis is what she considers the “catalyst” to assessing all that might be possible.

3. What did you do on the day after Hurricane Irma or other major event?

Jodi Kantor, New York Times correspondent noted in Quora, that what you truly want out of any interview is the real-life experience of a person. When candidates can respond using true experiences they have been through, you will get the most telling and illustrative answers. A response to a natural disaster is telling yet not personally invasive, such as asking how the candidate spent the day after the 2016 election.

This targeted, straight forward question will elicit some of the most candid responses. As Kantor explained, hypothetical questions that have traditionally been common in interviews will not provide the answers you are looking for. Asking the candidate to describe their reaction to a major national or international event goes further than traditional “what if” questions.

“Again, asking the unexpected questions can help paint a full picture of your candidate,” concludes Halverson. “From the way they think, react and respond, an answer to this kind of question conveys true character through spontaneity.”

The Trevi Group  |   www.TheTreviGroup.com 

Software developer ranks as No. 1 job for 2018

For the first time in three years, a role in healthcare did not take the No. 1 spot in the annual best jobs report complied by U.S. News & World Report.

Instead, the acclaim went to the technology industry. Drawing on data for pay, career potential, work-life balance and additional factors that contribute to a good job, the source ranked software developer as the overall top job for 2018. In addition to gaining recognition as the best job across all industries, software developer also earned the top spot among the publication's best technology jobs, best STEM jobs and 100 best jobs lists.

Increased demand for the future
Software developers are the masterminds behind nearly every piece of technology, app and program we rely on each and every day. As U.S. News & World Report explained, in addition to their mastery of coding, individuals in this field must also possess skills in creativity, analytics and problem-solving.

"Through 2026, 253,400 software developer positions will open."

"Technology is the backbone of many of our jobs across the board this year," said Kim Castro, executive editor at U.S. News & World Report. "Nearly every type of company is looking for people who can analyze and interpret data to solve problems. This technological boom is creating new opportunities for statisticians, engineers and software developers - these workers are developing the algorithms that are rapidly changing the global job market."

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that in 2016, software developers were earning an annual average of $102,280. The outlook for anticipated growth in the sector through 2026 is 24 percent, a demand directly correlated to the growing need for computer software. As a result, 253,400 software developer positions are projected to be created over the course of the next eight years, noted USN.

The spread of software developers
As Castro emphasized above, the job market is in fact evolving as a result of software developers, according to the Tech Times. Nearly every industry across the board enlists the help of technology in one capacity or another. While software developers are right up there in demand with IT managers and information security analysts at nearly all leading tech companies including Tesla, Apple and Google, it doesn't stop there.

One such company making moves across industries is BlackBerry Ltd. With the continued rise of advanced software and technology in vehicles also comes the increased risk of hackers breaking into driving systems as well. As a result, BlackBerry is moving into the cyber security and auto industries with a program called Jarvis, reported TechRepublic. The cloud-based system can automatically scan through code to detect any faults or weakness that could impact car or driver.

As more systems like Jarvis come to fruition, the need for software developers will only increase. In fact, though it aims to tackle strictly the auto industry first, Jarvis could move into more sectors such as aerospace, defense and healthcare over time, BlackBerry CEO John Chen told the source. 

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com

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BLS Employment Situation Report for December 2017

For much of 2017, the expansion of job growth throughout the U.S. trended steadily upward. There were only a few notable instances of slowdown, such as the hurricanes that hit Florida, southeast Texas and the Gulf Coast area in late summer. Per the latest numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the year ended with jobs gained as well, albeit at a more modest pace: 148,000 total nonfarm jobs were added in the month of December. The employment rate, meanwhile, remained at 4.1 percent during the same period, holding fast to the level it initially dropped to in October.

CNBC noted that the December figure for employment creation did fall short of numerous projections, and represented a drop of more than 100,000 jobs from November 2017, during which revised BLS numbers state that the economy added 252,000 jobs. These economists and other experts had expected a gain of about 190,000 new positions. However, the relative shortage of workers available to fill jobs - as evidenced by static 4.1 percent unemployment, and a similarly steady labor force participation rate of 62.7 percent - began to take its toll.

The industries driving the job gains that were seen in December 2017 were in line with those that fueled employment growth for much of the year. Healthcare saw the largest single sector-wide expansion, with 31,000 positions created, though construction was not far behind at 30,000 jobs added. Manufacturing, as well as food and drink services, also saw statistically significant job creation, with both of these fields adding 25,000 new roles to their nationwide payrolls. Professional and business services saw little change, adding 19,000 jobs over the month.

Most of the other sectors tracked by the BLS did not see any noteworthy growth or contraction. Retail trade proved to be the exception, with a decline of 20,000 positions. This may appear surprising, given that MasterCard recently announced a record-setting 4.9 percent increase in holiday sales across the U.S. Yet that drop was in line with 2017's trend for the industry, as it lost 67,000 jobs over the course of the year, a reversal from the 203,000 retail positions added in 2016. David Berson, chief economist at Nationwide, told The Washington Post that the continued rise of e-commerce may have helped that decline.

"That's a notoriously volatile number around the holiday season, but it also reflects in part that increasing numbers of sales are coming from e-commerce and not brick-and-mortar stores," Berson said, according to the news provider. "That's part of a longer-term decline in that sector."

Yahoo Finance noted that overall 2017 job growth makes the lack of notable expansion in American employees' wage rates throughout the year puzzling to a significant number of economists.

Hourly earnings rose 0.3 percent in December and 2.5 percent on a year-over-year basis, in line with predictions. However, wages are not accelerating to a degree experts believe is fully commensurate with the upticks in employment seen throughout the U.S. economy during the last several years. According to Yahoo, the slow pace of earnings growth makes it unlikely, thus far, that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in 2018 beyond its three previously scheduled rate hikes.

All told, despite December numbers falling below expectations, 2017 can accurately be considered a good year for American jobs, which will brighten employers' expectations as 2018 begins.

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com 

Video: Employment Trends to Watch and Embrace in 2018

To stay competitive in today’s ever-changing business environment, C-level executives agree that finding and retaining the right talent is essential. But how to do that effectively remains a challenge. According to a joint research study by Dow Jones and the HR Certification Institute, the area of talent strategy and engagement is a top concern. Surveyed C-suite executives ranked it among the top five items on the corporate agenda, yet only 59 percent consider their companies to be effective at attracting and retaining talent. “New emerging trends as well as trends that have been identified over the past several years indicate that more organizations are making talent management a top priority for 2018,” says Nancy Halverson, general manager of franchise operations for MRINetwork. “We’ve identified several significant trends that are already having an impact, or that are poised to become increasingly relevant.”

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Gig economy

As the job landscape changes, more companies are creating blended workforces that incorporate contract or part-time employees into the traditional nine-to-five arrangement. According to a report by The McKinsey Global Institute, about 20 percent of the working-age population is engaged in some form of independent work, most by choice. Online and human cloud platforms have additionally expanded the potential of the gig economy, with gig workers expected to grow from about 4 million today to 7.7 million by 2020, according to a recent study conducted by Intuit and Emergent Research. “While technology is evolving the gig economy, traditional staffing firms will continue to provide value especially for companies in candidate-driven industries that need more access to highly-skilled contingent talent,” observes Brett Felmey, director of contract staffing sales for MRINetwork. “Partnering with firms that have relationships with top candidates, and expertise as a single source solution provider can provide employers with the competitive edge required to recruit the top performers in their markets, whether on a permanent or contract basis.”

Predictive analytics

As more technology becomes available, companies are using predictive analytics to determine how candidates will perform. Google, for example, has been using analytics to gain insights into the impact of every interview and source of hire since 2015, according to Deloitte’s 2015 Human Capital Trends Report. Many in the human resources arena predict that the rising use of predictive analytics will be the biggest recruiting trend to drive productivity and profitability in 2018. By collecting early performance data on new hires, and matching it against assessments, a feedback loop is created that automatically updates and continually refines the profile of a successful employee.

Blind hiring

Bias in the workforce became a big issue in 2017. To minimize any controversy, companies are being encouraged to make hiring a blind process. In standard screening and interviewing, unconscious bias easily becomes part of the equation by including data that gives away key parts of a candidate’s background: gender, age, race, even alma mater. By stripping away any information that may reveal demographic data, the first wave of screening can be done based purely on abilities and achievements. “This allows for a more diverse workforce built on merit,” says Halverson, “but the problem is trying to achieve this with the proliferation of social media. Using a third-party recruiter is usually necessary to ensure a truly blind process.”

Gamification

Gamification, a technique for turning engagement into a competitive game, is beginning to be used as a candidate screener. Tools such as ConnectCubed claim that games add to the attractiveness of the application process while delivering actionable insights into candidates’ fit for the role. Although not yet in widespread use for recruitment, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), many companies are finding that virtual games, which integrate points, badges, competition and role-playing, can be used to effectively attract and assess candidates, particularly Millennials raised on Wii and Xbox. The results can be used by recruiters to identify the most promising candidates in their pipeline as under-the-hood algorithms track critical analytics while candidates play the games. “For candidates, gamification can take the chore out of the application process and add a bit of competitive fun while providing a measurable demonstration of their strengths to potential employers.  Hiring managers gain access to valuable, actionable data to predict candidate fit and future performance,” says Reagan Johnson, director of technology operations for MRINetwork.  “The service a recruiter brings to organizations is to make sense of the data, using their experience and practiced intuition to make meaningful evaluations.  This saves hiring managers significant amounts of time and helps them identify better candidates.”

Preparing Employees for Future Change

Evolving technology is responsible for both the disappearance of many jobs across a wide range of industries and the creation of other jobs where skilled labor is needed; for example, when robots or automation techniques are introduced, companies still need technical talent to program, maintain and repair these robots. “In 2018, companies must think ahead to how they will do business in the future and determine the best ways to leverage their resources (e.g., people, systems, tools) to meet the future needs of their operations,” advises Marquis Parker, vice president of business services for MRINetwork. “A key part of this will be to identify people who are willing to embrace different aspects of jobs, including management, problem solving, troubleshooting, and other areas that require a human element, and determining how they can be deployed to align with a company’s growth strategies. Depending on the industry, this could represent a significant transformation in overall human capital strategy and what different employees are tasked to do, so planning ahead will save the company money as it transitions to cheaper computer-driven labor while maximizing the human potential already on the payroll.”

“Individualization may be the most important trend in HR today, because employees expect to have the type of experience in the workplace that they have as consumers, says Sherry Engel, vice president of learning and talent development for MRINetwork. “Learners do not want a complicated, long, one-size-fits-all answer to their skill development.  They want a YouTube or a Google approach, where they can get quick, simple, targeted skill development right at the moment they need it. Like Googling a video on how to tie a tie.”

The priorities and challenges inherent in these significant trends are clear, and readiness to respond to them is essential. The ongoing tight labor market means that companies will continue to be challenged with finding and retaining the right employees. “Given the importance that business leaders place on the talent management agenda,” concludes Halverson, “it’s a good time to reflect on what can be done and to take action, focusing on what should be done differently, and what might be improved to move the needle in this critical area.”

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com

BLS Employment Summary for November 2017

U.S. employment gains exceeded expectations in November, with the country adding 228,000 total nonfarm positions.

Bloomberg economists had predicted job gains of 195,000.

The unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent in November, with 6.6 million people unemployed. Over the year, the jobless rate has decreased by 0.5 percentage point.

"These are really strong numbers, which is pretty exciting, since this is our first clean read after the volatility associated with the hurricanes," said Josh Wright, chief economist at software firm iCIMS, in an interview with The Washington Post.

The several consecutive months of larger-than-expected job gains and downward trending unemployment rate point to a strengthening economy.

Professional and business services added 46,000 jobs in November. Over the year, the industry has gained 548,000 new positions.

Manufacturing added 31,000 jobs, with largest employment increases in machinery and fabricated metal products.

Healthcare employment grew by 30,000 in November, with 25,000 of the new positions in ambulatory healthcare services. Healthcare has added an average of 24,000 jobs per month in 2017.

Construction saw an increase among specialty trade contractors, adding 23,000 over the month.

Employment in retail trade, transportation and warehousing, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality was little changed in November.

Wages did not increase as much as economists expected in November, with average hourly earnings for all private nonfarm employees increasing $0.05 in November to reach $26.55.

Over the year, earnings increased 2.5 percent, falling short of the anticipated 2.7 percent growth, Bloomberg reported.

However, most economists believe that wage growth will accelerate as the unemployment rate continues to drop, The New York Times explained.

The strong November jobs report makes it likely that the Federal Reserve will vote to raise interest rates next week.

"Not that it was a hurdle to raising rates next week, but the Fed will feel very comfortable with this kind of a jobs report," said Ward McCarthy, chief financial economist at Jefferies LLC, in an interview with Bloomberg.

The vote to raise rates would close out a strong year for the U.S. economy.

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com

Video: Have you modernized your employee review practices?

Traditional business practices are being shaken up. Many companies are reviewing their long-held traditions in favor of more agile, responsive ways of managing workers. Some of these changes include providing employees with flexibility to work from home more often, and leveraging technology like Skype for Business or Yammer to better communicate and share information among team members and even the entire organization.

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One area experiencing a large transformation is performance reviews. For decades, the prevailing wisdom has been that a big annual review at the end of the year is enough to let employees know how they're doing. However, this is no longer true - employees are demanding more frequent and detailed feedback on their work, and managers are responding by making their review practices more flexible and engaging.

If your company hasn't updated its performance review practices, it runs the risk of losing top talent to companies that build feedback into their regular business functions from week to week. Also, you'll miss out on the valuable chance to identify and develop employees' professional skill sets.

According to a recent survey by the Institute for Corporate Productivity, 67 percent of the 244 companies surveyed said that they are rethinking their current performance management practices - and 59 percent of these companies are doing so because of employee feedback.

As you begin to focus on business planning and employee goals for the coming year, consider these four ways you can modernize reviews at your company:

1. Make performance an ongoing conversation

Instead of saving comments for the annual review, find ways to provide feedback and discuss priorities with employees on a regular basis. You could hold biweekly, one-on-one check-ins with employees, discuss goals or accomplishments at the beginning or end of each quarter or provide opportunities for group discussions at weekly team meetings. Regular check-ins help employees feel that their managers are committed to them being successful workers, which in turn helps them be more engaged and motivated to do their best work.

2. Embrace career pathing

Career pathing is a strategy that actively invests in and develops your employees to thrive in their current and future roles. It is an intentional approach as opposed to a reactive one - instead of managers passively learning of an employee's goals at the company, they take a participatory role in professionally developing the individual. Through career pathing, managers and employees sit down and learn of the employee's professional aspirations at the company and then set a tangible plan for helping the employee reach these goals.

3. Create an open culture of feedback

Reviews that benefit both employee and employer are based on honest, open communication, and this is only possible when there is a culture of workplace transparency. Employees should feel comfortable expressing their concerns, and criticism should be communicated in a way that is constructive. If employees feel that they are always one misstep away from being fired, or that their managers are not honest with them, reviews are more likely to further cement negative feelings instead of paving the way for constructive team-building. Company leadership can do their part to create an open culture of feedback by keeping employees in the loop on workflow changes, encouraging employees to voice their concerns and recognizing workers who aren't afraid to ask for help.

4. Ensure reviews are fair

Only 29 percent of employees strongly agree that their performance reviews are fair, according to Gallup. The organization found that one main reason for this is reviews that are held just once a year fail to take into account all the changes that can occur in responsibilities, workflows and personal lives over the course of 12 months. Gallup also suggests that when conducting reviews, managers consider the expectations of the role compared to the time and resources employees actually have to fulfill these duties. The benchmarks employees are judged against should be realistic and fair.

Performance reviews are integral to employee success, but expectations have changed in the 21st century. Employees want reviews that are frequent, constructive, authentic and fair - and companies that update their review processes to match these needs are most likely to retain top talent.

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com

Computer science skills in demand in fields beyond tech

Computer science knowledge has continued to prove necessary across industries. According to a new report from Burning Glass Technologies and Oracle Academy, 65 percent of sought-after skills in data analysis, programming and information technology, engineering and manufacturing, marketing and design are related to computer science.

Additionally, the skills are more important than education. Of jobs in the five target industries, applicants need a computer science degree for only 18 percent of positions. The study cited demand for hybrid roles that incorporate these skills but focus on other core competencies.

"Living wage jobs in the future will require some level of computer science knowledge," Alison Derbenwick Miller, Oracle Academy vice president, said in a press release. "This shows that computer science education is vital to future earnings, and an important equity issue."

This trend is apparent even among educational institutions that have begun to accommodate the demand for computer science proficiency. Boston University's The Daily Free Press noted job openings requiring such skills are available, and higher education organizations want to help fill the skills gap. Additionally, students know the value of this knowledge. For instance, one computer science course offered at BU filled within two hours of posting.

Design and marketing are among non-tech industries that value skills like coding.

Higher salaries available for computer science
Beyond a need for qualified individuals, earnings potential is high for those who bring computer science competency to a job. The Burning Glass and Oracle Academy data determined that 62 percent of skills that produce the highest pay fall under this umbrella.

With the availability of jobs, job seekers even have a few options to search for more competitive pay. For the 2015-16 school year, 107,000 individuals graduated with bachelor's, master's and Ph.D degrees for computer science, and 108,000 job openings were available to them, according to a New York Times analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics and National Center Education Statistics data. Of course, those with different degrees add to the competition, but the favorable ratio of related graduates to available positions can bode well for all applicants.

Acquiring one of these positions is worthwhile, with Burning Glass and Oracle finding those in career track jobs that require coding skills can earn an additional $20,000 compared to jobs that don't need this knowledge. Ran Canetti, a computer science professor at BU, said students are aware of the earnings potential, which is one aspect driving them to his classes.

The trend is expected to continue
BU faculty and staff have already forecast a need for more faculty to teach computer science, and other institutions are likely gearing up in the same manner. As the need for such skills in indirectly related jobs becomes more apparent, the courses will need to accommodate more students taking the classes as electives to expand their skills.

Miller said students in any major can benefit from gaining computer science knowledge. Luckily, they can invest their time and money to this education with good odds of finding a job in the hundreds of thousands available.

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com

IT job growth to arise out of automation

With smart cars and other technologies replacing the need for human workers, some professionals may see the transition to more automation as threatening. While it's clear these innovations will create a shift, a report from the McKinsey Global Institute highlighted the ways in which the proliferation of automation will create jobs across a number of industries.

One of these sectors is information technology. The forecast for global job growth among the IT field as a result of automation is between 20 million and 50 million positions by 2030. That expected rise will come on the back of a 50 percent bump in technology spending as 2030 rolls around. The report did make clear, however, that while these tech jobs will likely be available, many professionals in the sector will face role adjustments to work into the predicted employment growth.

In particular, the report cited positions related to the development and deployment of automation technology as ones ripe for IT professionals. The roles will range in skill levels, including web developers, support specialists and software engineers. 

How IT employment could grow
Like the McKinsey data, a CIO article highlighted job transitions as part of the coming wave of automation. The same change occurred with the proliferation of cloud technology, and the key is to see how existing skills function in the new landscape.

Moreover, automation first aims to target mission-critical but mundane and tedious tasks. With support for these duties, IT professionals can better utilize their skills for more intensive and fulfilling tasks. Such responsibilities will ride on $1.7 trillion to $2 trillion in stimulus for IT by 2030, supporting consulting, outsourcing, hardware and software support, implementation, and internal IT, according to McKinsey.

"A few new technology-centered jobs could stem from the rise in automation."

A few new technology-centered jobs could stem from the rise in automation. For instance, Cognizant's Center for the Future of Work highlighted 21 positions automation could create, with eight relating to technology. These positions include master of edge computing, AI-assisted healthcare technician and data detective. Another cited role was bring your own IT facilitator, which would be instrumental in using automation to manage shadow IT.

Where the jobs will arise
IT facilitators for the proliferation of BYOD environments could have an easy time finding jobs locally, as McKinsey predicted services jobs will have high demand across the board at this level. Meanwhile, software and hardware positions will see growth in bigger countries. These nations include the U.S., Netherlands, India, China and Germany.

These countries could account for more than 50 percent of the IT job growth resulting from automation. Of the maximum 50 million employment opportunities, 19 million could appear in just China and India.

A common thread across locations and roles is the focus on professionals honing current skills and acquiring new ones. McKinsey and CIO noted individuals who examine their value propositions and look out for skills gaps can give themselves a head start on transitioning into a world of more automation.

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com

BLS Employment Summary for October 2017

The U.S. added 261,000 jobs in October, with many of the new positions replacing those lost due to Hurricanes Irma and Harvey.

While Bloomberg economists estimated the country would gain 313,000 jobs last month, they anticipate that October’s numbers will mark a return to steady hiring increases over the next several months.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent in October, from 4.2 percent in September. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate dropped to 7.9 percent, which is its lowest level since December 2006, Bloomberg noted.

“There are obviously storm distortions in this report, but the decline in the unemployment rate reflects ongoing improvement in the labor market. November is going to clear a lot of this up,” said Michael Gapen, chief U.S. economist at Barclays Plc.

Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls saw little change in October, declining by 1 cent to $26.53. The decrease follows a gain of 12 cents in September. Average hourly earnings have increased by 2.4 percent over the year.

The most significant change in employment industry-wise was the 89,000 jobs gained back in food services and drinking places in October. These positions replace some of the 98,000 jobs in this sector shed in September, which were largely lost due to the hurricanes.

Professional and business services gained 50,000 positions in October, while manufacturing added 24,000 jobs.

Healthcare employment grew by 22,000, with ambulatory health care services responsible for 16,000 of the new positions.

Industries that remained relatively unchanged over the month included construction, wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities and government.

Bloomberg reported that as the U.S. seems to be nearing maximum employment, the Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates next month for the third time this year.

The Trevi Group  |  www.TheTreviGroup.com