This Week's Roundup
Jan. 9, 2024
Rumor has it that Apple will launch its VR/augmented reality headset Vision Pro as early as this month. Whenever it happens, expect the launch to kick off a solid year of buzz about what Apple calls “spatial computing,” an environment where users control apps with their eyes and hands, tapping fingers instead of clicking mice and entering data through dictation or a virtual keyboard.
Champions of computing in the flow of work are sure to embrace Vision Pro’s promise. But a number of unknowns remain, including the cost of producing and deploying content, the enthusiasm of the developer community and solutions providers’ interest in building out the universe Apple envisions. Read more.
Will 2024 see less of an emphasis on employee experience, or will employers keep worrying about things like health and wellbeing? The answer depends on who you ask.
A variety of technology and workforce issues is pressuring employers to invest less time and money on nurturing the employee and candidate experience. Forrester Research predicts that activity related to engagement and “culture energy” will both decline during 2024, continuing the downward movement seen during the previous two years.
At the same time, healthcare costs and general stress are forcing businesses to prioritize softer workforce issues. Just more than half of employers, 51%, regard employee satisfaction as their most important goal. Making things more complicated, what workers value is changing along with demographics. Read more.
AI was the dominant topic of HR technology conversation during 2023, while the underlying issues facing employers didn’t change. Businesses are preoccupied with skills, believe good workers are hard to find and struggle to figure out how to implement hybrid work policies.
We think 2024 will be similar and unpredictable. The fascination with AI will continue, businesses will look for flexible technical solutions and employees will insist their companies pay attention to their personal as well as professional concerns.
And don’t forget: This is an election year. Financial markets are sure to be skittish. Employers will tread carefully on filling roles even as they lament the scarcity of candidates. The drive for efficiency in HR will become a central theme as vendors push the idea of AI freeing up employees to tackle “high-value” tasks.
What will it all look like on the ground? These are our predictions.
Other News
Dice is ratcheting up its efforts in employer branding with new features to help customers raise visibility among technology-focused candidates. The features, called Company Profile and Discover Companies, aim to leverage an employer’s reputation as it presents its opportunities to job seekers. Read more.
The labor market remains active but is cooling off, the Conference Board said, a trend it expects to continue until 2024’s second quarter. At that point, it predicts job losses will begin. The board expects the unemployment rate will rise to 4.3% during the second half. Read more.