What Does 2017 Hold for the World of Flexible Work?
Will 2017 be the year that flexible work finally becomes the norm?
While flexible work arrangements have been steadily gaining acceptance over the past few years, standard schedules still prevail. However, that could change this year, according to Sara Sutton Fell, CEO and founder of flexible work job board FlexJobs.
The eight-hour workday seems to be on its way out, with 63 percent of workers expecting it to become obsolete. Sixty-eight percent of workers also expect to start working remotely instead of commuting to an office every day.
“Those are workers’ expectations, not hopes or wishes,” Sutton Fell says. “As the job market continues to strengthen, workers are in a better position to ask for what they want from their current employer or find a new one that will better support their needs.”
Over the past decade, the number of people doing freelance and contract work has increased by roughly 10 million. In fact, temporary and freelance jobs increased faster than overall employment.
“Freelance opportunities are still growing quickly, so employees who hold traditional jobs should consider what the freelance job market may hold for them,” Sutton Fell says. “What workers really need to do is learn more about what it takes to be a successful freelancer so they can set themselves up to be a in a good position should they decide to go down that path.
Overall, Sutton Fell expects flexible work will continue to grow in importance in 2017 for both employers and employees.
“It’s not getting any easier for people to juggle all their life responsibilities, so professionals will continue to seek out flexible work options to find jobs that better fit their lives,” she explains. “And employers are also feeling the benefits of offering flexible work options, such as reduced turnover and improved productivity, so employer support is also growing for flexible work.”
20 Flexible Jobs With High Growth Potential for 2017
Given that 2017 is shaping up to be a great year for flexible work, it may be time for employees to start looking at flexible work options and for employers to start offering them.
Here’s the full list:
Account executives work in a variety of industries and are tasked with building client relationships, identifying new clients, and maintaining accounts.
Account managers are responsible for maintaining client relationships, monitoring market trends, evaluating appropriate solutions, and sales.
Business development professionals are hired by a variety of companies to identify opportunities for sales, partnerships, and other business expansion areas.
To help improve processes, implement projects, troubleshoot problem areas, and create new or existing systems, companies hire business process analysts. Industries like technology, healthcare, and science regularly have job openings for business process analysts.
5. Client Services Coordinator
Client services coordinators are hired to support client needs, address and resolve issues, and advocate for clients. All sorts of industries, like healthcare, technology, veterinary, and real estate, offer client services positions.
Data science is a quickly-growing field where professionals are hired to gather, process, and analyze large datasets, build learning models, and make recommendations based on their findings.
Financial analysts work with business units to perform analysis and reporting of financial data and make recommendations for financial action. Common tasks include product pricing, data evaluation, trend monitoring, case management, and budget reviews.
Front end developers are hired to code websites, software, and other technology-based products and services. Their daily tasks may include creating new products or services, troubleshooting and resolving issues, and implementing updates.
Genetic counselors work with patients in healthcare settings to do things like prepare cases, identify patient goals, collect histories, and conduct risk assessments. Tasks also include reviewing charts, discussing test results, and providing related health information.
10. Information Security Analyst/Manager
Information security analysts and managers work to assess, develop, and troubleshoot a company’s information security systems and programs. Evaluating current initiatives, making recommendations for upgrades or changes, and working on technical projects are all common aspects of information security jobs.
11. Medical Director
Medical doctors are hired as medical directors to oversee the business and medical review operations of different medical units or areas of practice within larger healthcare organizations. Medical directors are also responsible for overseeing the credentialing process for physicians and providing clinical expertise.
12. Nurse – ICU
ICU nurses are responsible for providing nursing services to the intensive care units of medical centers and hospitals. Related departments include cardiovascular recovery units (CVRUs) and coronary care unites (CCUs).
Nurse practitioners provide clinical oversight and coordinate patient care, as well as examine, diagnose, and treat patients; counsel and educate patients; and prescribe medications.
14. Occupational Therapy Assistant
Working closely with occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants perform assessments, develop care plans, and monitor patient progress.
15. Office Manager
Office managers are responsible for keeping offices in a wide variety of industries running smoothly. They manage support staff, assist with travel arrangements, manage office supplies and equipment, and much more.
The requirements of and work performed by operations analysts vary from company to company, but these roles are typically responsible for operational process implementation and analysis, resource planning, documentation, and the analysis of organizational functioning. Departments that utilize the skills of operations analysts include marketing, human resources, logistics, and product development.
Operations managers are responsible for providing assistance to the functioning, planning, and directing of companies and organizations. They typically work closely with other departments like accounting, marketing, sales, and IT.
18. Physical Therapy Assistant
Physical therapists work with patients with injuries to provide assessment, develop care plans and treatment options, and work with other healthcare providers.
19. Product Manager
Product managers work with digital product designers, engineers, developers, and other related professionals to ensure the creation and implementation of new products or upgrades to current products. Typical tasks of product management jobs include developing project plans, analyzing opportunities, communicating with stakeholders and clients, and offering recommendations for best practices.
20. Statistician
Statisticians are responsible for conducting research, analyzing data, and preparing reports for a variety of fields and clients. Relatedly, statistician instructor and professor jobs are also in high demand.