Why you need a new job search strategy for 2024

Between layoffs and an uncertain economic outlook, many are suddenly searching for jobs, either covertly, or overtly, in the new year. And experts say it pays to be strategic.

There were seismic shifts in the labour market over the course of 2023, particularly among highly-skilled workers.

It was a time of fewer job postings and a marked increase in layoffs compared with 2021 and 2022.

Career strategist Tobi Oulwole, founder of TalentGap, fielded many inquiries among the quarter-million pink slips doled out last year in the tech industry alone.

“That flooded the job market with people that had literally not looked for jobs in five, 10, 15 years,” he told Global News. “2023 was a very interesting year because the pendulum absolutely swung.”

With the balance of power shifting back to employers, some of the big changes included return-to-office mandates for roles that were previously fully remote. Between that, layoffs and an uncertain economic outlook, many people are suddenly searching for jobs, either covertly, or overtly, in the new year.

And experts say it pays to be strategic.

Receiving a pink slip or being otherwise dismissed from your workplace has become increasingly common in the past year or so as companies reduce head counts to cut costs. The decision is usually a financial one, but the impact on an individual can include emotional scars.

Career consultant Sweta Regmi remembers getting laid off in 2017. She says it happened in “one minute, over the phone” when her role, along with several others, was eliminated.