53%.
That’s the percentage of people who chose to go into an entirely new field after quitting their job in 2021.
This means that The Great Resignation — the exodus of employees from their current roles to new positions — is, for most workers, really a similar phenomenon called The Great Reshuffle.
But what exactly is The Great Reshuffle? How is it impacting the job market in 2022 and beyond, and most importantly, how can associations adapt to it to better support their members?
What is The Great Reshuffle?
The Great Reshuffle, also called The Great Reshuffling, is an economic trend in which millions of professionals have left their jobs since the spring of 2021 in search of more fulfilling careers better aligned with their goals and values.
An outgrowth of The Great Resignation that’s gained increasing prominence as of late, The Great Reshuffle has seen professionals not only change jobs, but in many cases entirely reinvent their careers, in order to achieve more happiness, flexibility, and work-life balance in their personal lives.
How is The Great Reshuffle impacting the job market in 2022 and beyond?
First, let’s take a quick look at the data.
Remember that 53% statistic? The Pew Research Center survey behind that stat also shed more light on the reasons why professionals have quit en masse during The Great Resignation to pursue new career paths and goals — not just move into another job in their current industry.
63% of workers who left their jobs in 2021 also said that low pay and a lack of opportunity for advancement were the top reasons why they left, while 57% said they felt disrespected in their current role.
Madgex’s own research has also offered a glimpse into why so many professionals are leaving their current roles, including changing careers outright. Our survey of more than 2,500 professionals revealed that 42% were looking to change roles within the next 12 months, with a sizeable 27% considering leaving their industry within the next 12 months to pursue an entirely new career path.
When asked what some of the top priorities they’re seeking in a new role are, professionals surveyed cited better work-life balance as the main factor, followed by improved benefits and increased flexibility.
Dani, a nurse and one of our respondents, said: “I have been actively looking to leave the nursing profession. I am currently completing my real estate license, which will hopefully help me bridge out. I work in two units within the hospital setting and both have been experiencing severe staffing shortages. Most of the reasons stem down to the increased physical and mental demands of the profession within the last five years.”
So, what does this all mean for the labor market in 2022? Essentially, professionals of all backgrounds do not feel tied to their current career paths and are switching industries at unprecedented levels, due to a desire for greater flexibility, increased pay, and the opportunity to chart a new career course more aligned with their personal values and goals.
For example, a 2021 Harris Poll revealed that roughly 50% of working Americans intended to make a career change in the near future, with a third of those intending to do so in an entirely new industry. Professionals are also increasingly staking out on their own as entrepreneurs and freelancers, with the U.S. Census Bureau registering a record 5.4 million new business applications in 2021.
Claire, a content strategist, writer, and editor and one of our respondents, said: "When I started to consider starting a business, I spoke with some trusted people in my network who'd done similar things, and the feedback I got was 'the timing has never been better,' and it turns out they were right!"
Another important impact The Great Reshuffle is having on the job market in 2022 and beyond is that it’s largely being led by Millennial and Gen Z professionals — younger generations heading toward their peak earning years and those just entering the workforce, respectively. According to data from the Pew Research Center and LinkedIn, 37% of adults under 30 decided to leave a job in 2021.
“You have employees globally who are rethinking, not just how they work, but why they work and what they most want to do with their careers and lives," LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky said of the current job market changes being driven by younger generations.
What are professionals prioritizing in The Great Reshuffle?
The Great Reshuffle has seen professionals shift in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting Great Resignation. In general, more professionals are now prioritizing:
- Greater control of their careers
- More freedom and flexibility, especially remote work
- Entrepreneurship and freelancing
- Better work-life balance
- More time to focus on personal well-being
- Career choices that emphasize their personal goals, values, and happiness
- Pursuit of personal projects for monetary benefits or just as hobbies
- Salary commensurate with their value and experience
All in all, professionals are prioritizing greater autonomy and career choices more aligned with their goals, values, and overall happiness. They’re less content to stay locked in their current career and aren’t afraid to branch out on their own or try their hand at working in an entirely new field.
How can associations adapt?
Associations and societies like yours can adapt to The Great Reshuffle in several ways, offering the support and value your members need in the process. Here’s a closer look at the actionable steps you can take to stay at the forefront of this labor market trend, better support your current members, and boost your membership.
Prioritize your career center
The most important step you can take is to improve your career center, transforming it into a valuable resource for your members and other professionals within your industry.
According to Madgex’s own data, 42% of professionals are considering leaving their role within the next year. This offers a prime opportunity to establish your association as the leading destination for news, content, and career advice for professionals in your industry — and those looking to break in.
For example, you may want to publish a series of blog posts detailing the steps, skills, and certifications needed to become a professional in your industry or a whitepaper about the training and credentialing needed to reskill for a new role.
By leveraging your career center’s data and using it to create engaging, relevant content for your target audience, your association can position itself at the forefront of The Great Reshuffle, offering more value for your current members and attracting new ones.
Focus on upskilling and reskilling
Upskilling and reskilling are at the heart of the job market in 2022 as the economy continues to evolve with The Great Reshuffle.
What exactly are upskilling and reskilling? Upskilling is the learning of new skills or upgrading of existing ones for career advancement, while reskilling is the learning of a new skill set altogether, typically with the goal of transitioning into a new career.
Given the widespread changes the job market in 2022 is undergoing due to The Great Reshuffle, associations have an opportunity to capitalize on the influx of professionals into new industries.
Make sure your association offers online courses, certifications, credentialing, and training services to leverage the unprecedented need for upskilling and reskilling. However, it’s also important to go beyond this in order to set your association apart from the competition.
Coordinate with key employers in your industry to identify what specific skills are most in demand and design your training courses and credentialing services with them in mind. Focusing on streamlining the learning experience for users and promoting your courses and services via organic and paid social media campaigns, email drip campaigns, and other marketing initiatives can also give your association a competitive edge.
Survey your members and create relevant content
Given the ongoing changes in the labor market, now’s a great opportunity to survey your members to gauge their views on work-life balance, the economy, career goals, values, and other relevant issues.
Doing so is an excellent way not only to get insight into your members’ goals, career paths, and values but also to obtain the information you need to craft and publish content that’s relevant and useful for them. As an example, if a majority of your members say they prioritize new technical skills to advance their careers, produce content highlighting how your association is a leader in this area and direct your members to online courses where they can obtain the training and certification that they need to acquire these technical skills.
With a data-driven content strategy, you can publish a steady stream of useful, engaging content that’s relevant to your members’ interests and goals, boosting membership engagement and ultimately member satisfaction and retention.
Put your younger members front and center
The Great Reshuffle is being led by young professionals.
Take this into account as you hone your membership engagement strategy and messaging, such as using relevant social media channels to communicate. Additionally, another actionable step your association can take for engaging younger members is to survey them specifically to gauge their views on career goals and progression, values, pain points, and the like, and subsequently craft content around it.
Other specific, actionable steps to attract and engage younger members include:
- Holding conferences, workshops, webinars and other events focused on career progression strategies and tips for younger members
- Establishing a young professionals leadership team or council
- Creating volunteering opportunities
- Enlisting senior members as mentors
- Ensuring that they have access to the courses, credentialing services, and training sessions they need to advance their careers and feel like a welcomed, respected part of your association
Prepare your association today
By acting now, your association can better prepare to adapt to The Great Reshuffle and stay ahead of the curve.
Interested in learning more? Visit madgex.com to learn about our market-leading technology that can help associations like yours boost non-dues revenue, increase engagement, and attract new members, so you can offer more value amid The Great Reshuffle.
Also, be sure to download our eBook on The Great Resignation for an in-depth look at the results from our survey of more than 2,500 professionals, as well as actionable steps your association can take to support your members.