The corporate world and civilian workforce underwent seismic changes in the past few years: Unemployment spiked during the pandemic before hitting historic lows, and businesses struggled to deal with global supply chain challenges alongside rising inflation and interest rates.

But one of the most noteworthy, and possibly long-term, changes to the workplace made fewer and fewer headlines through last year – the increased employee demand for flexible scheduling.

A recent Forbes article highlighting workplace trends for 2023 predicts an environment where employees want to maintain flexible work arrangements and seek higher compensation while employers remain focused on recruitment and retention strategies in a tight labor market.  

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Some key takeaways for those seeking a more flexible career path.

1. It could be here to stay. The Forbes piece sites a McKinsey survey from Spring 2022 where 58% of employees reported some remote work. Nearly 9 in 10 employers offer remote options, to include a four-day work week.
2. It’s not a free pass. Six in 10 employers use monitoring software to track employees’ activity, according to a Digital.com survey, and another 17% are considering it.
3. It doesn’t solve everything. Nearly half of the employees surveyed by the employee well-being platform Gympass reported declining mental health, according to the Forbes piece, and 28% feel unhappy in their jobs.

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Many of these trends were already in motion prior to the pandemic; it will be interesting to see whether they accelerate in the tight labor market, or if a potential economic slowdown alters the workforce dynamic yet again. 

Are you looking to take the next step in your career in the new year? Register for MOAA’s Jan. 17 webinar and learn how to market yourself. Need more career guidance? Check out all of MOAA’s resources at MOAA.org/Careers.