Microsoft Work Trend Index Report 2021: How Pandemic Changed the Way We Work

In the current pandemic context, most have moved their office at home or opted for the hybrid work model. And this has consequences not only from an economic point of view, but also regarding interpersonal relations. In this context, Microsoft’s annual report, Work Trend Index, highlights the changes that have taken place in the labor market.

In February 2021, 40 billion more emails were sent more than in February 2020. Moreover, more than 46% of the global workforce is thinking of moving and more than 40% of the global workforce is thinking of changing their jobs.

“Collaboration trends in Microsoft Teams and Outlook suggest that our networks have contracted, but hybrid work will revive them. Meeting time has doubled globally, with more than 40  billions of emails sent in February this year  than the same month last year. Work has become more humane. Almost 40% of respondents say they feel more comfortable being at work than before the pandemic, and one in six respondents say he was more open to expressing emotional difficulties with a colleague this year “

Microsoft Work Trend Index report 2021

Given that 73% of employees surveyed want to continue working from home, the new labor market outlines seven hybrid work trends that entrepreneurs need to adapt to:

1. Flexible working models will be implemented in the long term; 
2. Leaders have lost direct contact with employees and need to connect to the new reality; 
3. High productivity masks employee exhaustion; 
4. Generation Z is at risk and needs a boost and a new source of energy; 
5. Increasingly limited collaboration endangers innovation capacity; 
6. Authenticity will boost employee productivity and well-being; 
7. In a world of hybrid work, talent is everywhere.

If the current labor market for employees comes with opportunities such as flexible working hours, the ability to work from anywhere and the advantage of finding a job that increasingly meets their needs, employers need to consider different strategies to help them to adapt to the new context. From creating a plan to keep employees up to date with flexible ways of working, to investing in workspaces and technologies that connect the digital to the physical, from combating digital exhaustion to rethinking the employee experience to stay competitive in order to attract the best and most diverse talents, all are aspects not to be neglected.

One thing is certain: the IT market is constantly growing

The software industry in Romania is one of the key industries for the country’s economy. With a turnover representing more than 5% of the country’s GDP, the software industry grows every year both in terms of revenue and staff. With an increase in the number of employees of over 43% in the last 5 years, those 130,000 Romanians working in the IT field are not enough to cover the needs. Romania ranks first in the EU in the shortage of employees in this field, the need being estimated at tens of thousands of specialists, according to professional associations.

The Coronavirus pandemic led to an immediate and urgent need to digitize many key areas in Romania, so that IT companies had the opportunity to quickly develop and deliver relevant software solutions. From the development of e-commerce sites, with the percentage of online shopping growing by at least 36% in 2020, to the digitization of key services, such as the banking industry, local software developers have successfully met market demands.

Digital nomad in Romania – a new trend on the labor market

Romania has one of the fastest technological growth in the whole of Central and Eastern Europe. With very low internet costs, but with very good quality services, a digital nomad will always find Romania as the perfect place to carry out the activity.

“With only EUR 8 a month for broadband and around EUR 300 monthly rent for a bedroom apartment, Romania is considered to be a very attractive destination for the digital nomads worldwide. They could help us find good IT developers or digital marketers who are willing to work in a creative environment, in a country which is affordable to live in, but also is a member of the European Union.” 

Catalin ADAM, TUYA Digital

The evolution of the labor market in the coming years will depend strictly on everyone’s ability to adapt to new trends. Whether we choose to move to less crowded areas and work entirely remotely, or we choose to stay in crowded cities and go to the office, both employers and employees need to take the time to adapt to the changes.

Will companies get back to their corporate offices after the pandemic is over? Will employees adapt to the new demands of their employers? Are we living a capital change in the way we work and live on this planet?

Disregard of what will be, one thing is for sure: nowadays and in the future, the power to adapt to changes is the key for success for both companies and individuals.