Here's a small sampling of how jobs may be impacted by predicted changes this year:
- Despite a large uptick in hiring at the end of 2014, a recent study indicates that fully a third of U.S. workers are now free-lancers; job site CareerBuilder predicts the trend away from full-time jobs with benefits and toward part-time or temporary employees will continue.
- An ever-more-rigorous hiring process will become moreso. The days of filling an open position based on a resume, cover letter and one or two on-site interviews are in the distant rear-view mirror. The hiring process can now take months of interviewing, reviewing work samples, applications and vetting. This is due, in part, to increasing employment costs due to the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Social Security and other compliance-related factors.
- Immigration-related hiring, based on President Obama's year-end Executive Action on immigration, may result in as many as 11 million additional legal Americans who will be eligible for work in the coming year. Look for an uptick in government jobs to navigate this labyrinth of legislative challenges and job opportunities for bilingual workers.