As the post-pandemic burnout led to a trend of ‘quiet quitting’, LinkedIn has revealed the UK is entering into the age of ‘Career Committing’ - employees investing in their career against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, by learning new skills and taking on new challenges.
Over half (56%) of UK employees have made positive changes at work in response to economic turbulence, including proactively taking on new projects (39%), networking more (35%) and making more of an effort with colleagues (30%).
Furthermore, 74% are seeking to invest in new skills to improve their career prospects and give themselves the tools to weather the economic storm.
Charlotte Davies, LinkedIn’s Career Expert, said: “It’s inspiring to see UK professionals taking on 2023 with such confidence and once again showing how resilient they are, despite so much change and uncertainty. The cost of living crisis will definitely have played a part in the number of people looking for a new role, and our research shows that 2023 is the year of ‘Career Committing’ - the process of investing in your career against a backdrop of economic uncertainty. We're seeing the UK workforce understand their value - they are more empowered to push for promotions and advance their careers via upskilling, which will set them up positively for the year ahead.”
Helen Tupper, Co-host of the Squiggly Careers podcast, Author and CEO of Amazing If, comments: “It’s great to see that many professionals are optimistic about new career opportunities in 2023 and that LinkedIn’s data show that for the UK workforce ‘Career Committing’ is top of the agenda. It’s clear that people are keen to invest in their careers despite economic uncertainty, and focused on the opportunities they can create for their current and future roles. We’re big believers that careers aren’t linear, so taking the time to reflect on your current role and gain a better understanding of what you want to get out of a job can be a great way to reignite the passion for your career.”
Helen, Co-host of the Squiggly Careers podcast, Author and CEO of Amazing If, provides tips on how to career commit:
- Small successes: If you've lost your spark for work, then focusing on your small successes is a great way to reignite your passion. End each day by writing down one thing you've done well that day. Keep this up for a week and you'll create a bank of successes that will be a source of motivation for you. Once you get comfortable, you could even begin sharing these with your wider LinkedIn network to help, and get help, from others.
- Learn forward: If you're not doing a role you love and it feels like you want to move on, then refocus on learning forward. Look at the skills and knowledge you need for what you want to do next and read, then pick and choose the appropriate LinkedIn Learning courses that help you move towards your goals. This action will give you energy and put you in a more positive position for the future roles you're interested in, as well as widening your current repertoire.
- Create connection: We find more meaning and motivation in our work when we have a sense of community in our career. Look to your LinkedIn professional network to find people, and groups, that are passionate about things you are passionate about. Commit to one new connection and one new conversation over the next month to focus your efforts into action.
- Strengths solve: When you're looking at new roles, consider how your strengths could solve some of the potential problems that a team or organisation might be experiencing. For example, if an organisation has new competitors, perhaps your creative thinking strength could help the product team come up with new services. Or if a team is facing cost challenges, you could discuss how your strength in negotiating could support them to achieve their objectives. By sharing how your strengths can help, you're much more likely to be seen as someone they might need to know.
