Changes in the labor market: demanding people, remote work, age – and it won't be the same as before

When companies finally realize that things will never be the same again. That the labor market in our country has changed completely and continues to change for the worse.

That the personnel market = the market of demanding candidates?

Seriously.

What needs to happen for us to finally stop living in the past myths about work, people, their age, competencies and motivation?

Because many employers still have a set of beliefs from the past in their minds:

• after 35, the candidate is already "old";
• frequent job changes are a "sign of instability";
• remote work is "for the lazy";
• people need to be "controlled", not inspire;
• will work for the minimum, because there is a war in the country;
• the main thing is to find "convenient", not productive employees.

I recently spoke with a wonderful candidate for a management position who is deeply emotionally traumatized by the fact that she was rejected twice because of her age, although she passed all the tests with flying colors!!! HR – are you seriously rejecting a 50+ professional? There are hundreds of thousands of people like her. Experienced, strong, able-bodied, but ignored by companies just because they are under 25.

The Ukrainian labor market is at a turning point.

Young people are leaving. Mid-level positions remain open for six months to a year (and companies lose money without people all this time). And at the same time, companies continue to look for "convenient candidates" instead of adapting to the new reality.

What needs to change right now:

1. Radically revise the idea of age.

People 40+, 50+ are not "yesterday's people". This is stability, responsibility and depth of experience that young people often do not have.

2. Detailed roles.

Not just "sales manager," but a clear description – what decisions, what indicators, what expectations. Because without this, you are not looking for a person – you are looking for a ghost.

3. Decent working conditions.

The time when people agreed to work "in basements" is over. No one works for bread anymore – they want dignity, respect and meaning.

4. Decent pay.

Not "according to the market," but according to the value that a person brings. Otherwise, you will lose not only candidates but also the raison d'être of your HR function.

5. Remote work is not a threat, but an opportunity.

I personally know two CFOs who manage their teams entirely online – and they do it more efficiently than some in the office.

6. The new role of HR.

Not to "fill vacancies" but to build a system for attracting and retaining professionals. And it's not about Excel, it's about thinking.

7. Professional management.

It is managers who create the atmosphere in which people either "sit back" or burn and achieve. The manager's task is not to control, but to help people realize themselves, feel involved and satisfied with the result. Including for remote workers.

8. Continuous training with competent implementation.

People need to be trained in new work technologies so that they and companies get more. But without the implementation of knowledge, training becomes entertainment.

It is the implementation that gives the result.

9. Career Development Plan.

For those who are motivated by it, it is critically important. But most companies simply remain silent when asked by a candidate "what opportunities do you have for development?" Yet this is one of the most powerful tools for attracting and retaining talented people.

If companies don't start changing their approaches, we will very quickly find ourselves in a terrible staffing crisis that no recruiting agency can solve. Because there are already much fewer effective people than vacancies.

So the question is not where to find people. The question is whether the company is ready to become a place where people want to work.

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