Hiring levels are recovering and will soon be comparable to pre-pandemic levels. However, the labor market has changed dramatically since then, which is also the reason for a number of role transformations and the need for new skills.
The trends
As companies feel that roles have changed since the pandemic, and with it their expectations of employees, there is a tendency for hiring decisions to happen more slowly than in previous years. This happens because implementing a transformation takes time. Companies are redefining the need for office spaces and the requirements to work in person.
Talents also change. They have increasingly diverse backgrounds and experiences and have increasingly high expectations from their future employers. In Europe, there is a tendency for candidates to prefer to work remotely from anywhere, which companies cannot always respond to.
The most sought-after skills
With artificial intelligence on the rise in 2023, more and more employers are looking for people who have the skills and can use them skillfully. Because these skills are more specific, they are most sought-after for IT-related roles.
Regardless of the role, however, it is increasingly important that employees have expertise in sustainability. Not every candidate is expected to have held a “Sustainable Development Manager” position. In Bulgaria, the role “sustainability specialists” does not yet appear in the National Classifier of Professions and Positions in Bulgaria, but its inclusion is pending.
Champions of sustainability
Experience in sustainable development can be gained if the employee participates in a project on the topic, if he/she has trained and is familiar with the main developments, as well as if he/she is distinguished as a “champion of sustainability”. Such type of programs are available in some of the big companies. The participants in them hold different positions, applying sustainability practices in their work through training. Thus, the other members of their teams also become familiar with good practices and more and more employees work for the sustainability of the company.
