Adecco talks: Overemployment, worker engagement, and AI upskilling

What’s driving overemployment?

Today’s cost of living is forcing a growing trend: More and more workers juggling multiple jobs simultaneously.

● 40% of workers currently have two jobs
● 93% of Gen Z are working multiple gigs
● 47% of those are working three or more jobs

Whether they’re logging hours at different companies or a remote worker juggling full-time jobs, these workers are driven by many different factors, including tackling student debt or feeling apathetic toward their current companies. 

5% of any organization's workforce secretly holds multiple full-time positions, potentially boosting pay but risking termination or legal issues.

Organizations should consider implementing overemployment guidelines to manage conflicts of interest, foster openness, and set reasonable expectations. They should focus on providing clarity, risk mitigation strategies, trust, and equitable treatment.

Where employee engagement stands today

Employee engagement in the US has fallen to an 11-year low. There are 4.8 million fewer engaged workers in the first half of 2024 than the same period the year before.

The decline is most pronounced among younger, hybrid, and remote workers.

Improving employee engagement

Engagement is a crucial metric for leaders and organizations. It’s closely tied to productivity, retention, customer service, safety, quality of work, and profitability. Experts also say that engagement fosters healthier, happier employees with higher levels of self-esteem and fulfillment.

To be successful, employers must be intentional and invest thought in every aspect of their workers’ experience.

Fortunately, the old rules still apply, from creating career paths to building meaningful internal relationships.

We’ve written a great deal about how managers can tackle engagement, from upskilling and reskilling to strong safety programs to stay interviews. Check out more in our digital resources library.

Investing in AI upskilling

AI will soon be transforming the labor force, so it’s critical to equip employees with the needed AI skills, both for your workplace and for their future careers. Here are several strategies for companies to begin integrating AI training programs:

● Assess the current skill gaps in the workplace by determining which AI technologies you can adopt and utilize effectively
● Create awareness and understanding of AI by allowing hands-on training and showing its limits in the field
● Offer specialist training programs to different departments to learn how AI can be used differently from one position to another
● Provide ongoing support and feedback from your employees on how the daily workflow is going
● Continue to stay updated on AI trends and how other companies are impacted by it

If you’re ready to dig deeper into the “AI revolution,” be sure to read the “Global Workforce of the Future” report from our parent company, The Adecco Group. The survey looks at how prevalent AI already is in the workforce and what employers can start doing today.

Other trends we saw this month

● April's job growth slowed with the addition of 175,000 jobs. This marks a departure from recent months’ strong performance
● Unemployment rose slightly to 3.9% from March's 3.8%, while wage growth increased by 3.9% from a year earlier
● The report sparked debate among economists and investors about whether the labor market is cooling or facing more serious strains under higher interest rates

Let’s work together

 Today’s businesses are facing uncertainty from all sides, whether it’s Generative AI (GenAI) tech or financial outlooks. Now more than ever is the time to partner with a staffing agency who’s comfortable forging a new path.

We stay at the forefront through our own cutting-edge propriety tools and a strong global network.

The Adecco Group, our parent company, is partnering with Microsoft to introduce go-to-market solutions using ethical and inclusion-focused GenAI.

Together, we recently launched a GenAI-powered career platform to support workers as they look for jobs and map their long-term career goals.

At Adecco, we use market analysis and decades of staffing experience to create tailored solutions for our clients. Reach out today to discuss what’s next for you.