By Rachel Puryear

In 2020, most of us who still had jobs or work probably just felt lucky to have that. In 2021 though, with much of the population vaccinated and economies set to reopen, and a cautious hopefulness in the air; more people than usual might be thinking of greener pastures, career-wise.

People always switch jobs and work, and always will. For starters, there will certainly be a backlog of people who would have switched work in 2020, but for the pandemic. But people may have further motivations to switch work even more than usual this year, due to combinations of factors: Including the need for better child care and time with family; avoiding too much contact with unvaccinated people; seeking better pay; wanting to keep remote work and perhaps relocate; wanting more flexibility.

Many people also cultivated an even deeper appreciation of the shortness and unpredictability of life during the pandemic, and having (maybe) had some time to step back and reassess options, are more willing to take action to switch careers rather than keep putting off changes indefinitely.

Some experts are predicting that 2021 may see far more job turnover than usual, and are urging employers to brace themselves for a “tsunami of resignations”. Workers are also apparently “gaining the upper hand”, and at various pay levels, according to the New York Times and other sources. Employers are apparently more willing to consider candidates with less than ideal candidates, offer a bit more pay, and offer a bit more flexibility; compared with two years ago.

Of course, enhanced federal unemployment benefits are scheduled to end in September (assuming they are not extended). For now, this is also likely encouraging employers to pay more, or at least pay low-earning workers enough to compete with benefits. This could change to an extent after the benefits expire – however, as the above-referenced article indicates, employment offerings are improving at the higher ends as well as the lower ends of the pay scale. So if that’s happening even for workers who could earn significantly more than benefits pay, then the changes are not entirely due to the unemployment benefits. Who knows, maybe workers all over are just getting tired of increasingly stagnant wages over time.

Therefore, if you are considering a job or career change, now might be a good time to act on that. If employers are showing a little more flexibility and a willingness to make better offerings; that could be to your advantage in going for work that is out of your current field, or trying for a better deal than the one you have now. If you are wondering what might be out there that would offer you better compensation, better flexibility and fit for your desired lifestyle, and be more satisfying; you may want to look around and see what you can find.

Here’s to your thriving and prospering, so you can take better care of yourself and those you love. Thank you for reading, sharing, and following, dear readers.

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