Job Hunting with Jobina: Here are Monster's 2021 hiring trend predictions

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Monster has released it's hiring forecast for 2021. Based on the report , technology and healthcare jobs are the most in demand positions, but as the vaccine continues to roll out, Monster believes 2021 is set to be a comeback year for some hard-hit industries.

Monster career expert Vicki Salemi talked with ABC7 News about the data. She discussed five key hiring trends to watch in 2021, along with tips on how to prepare.

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• #1: Employers are focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.

"They're no longer looking only within their geographic region of where their office is located," Salemi said. "We're seeing trends in job searching where job seekers as well can look beyond let's say the San Francisco area. Employers are looking for you too."

• #2: Remote work is here to stay.

"They're interviewing virtually, they're onboarding new employees virtually, they're bringing on new team members," Salemi replied.

• #3: Upskilling.

According to Monster, 87% of employers report struggling to fill positions because of a skills gap.

Salemi explained, "Upskilling is looking at your current skillset and saying, 'Okay where do I need to uplevel? Where do I need to take it to the next level and gain specific skills?' We know from Monster data - we know that one of the biggest concerns that recruiters have is mining the gap. That's the skills gap."

"Go online and leverage this time to your advantage and leverage virtual education, certifications, and licensing," Salemi said.

• #4: Understand safety in the workplace and get it in writing.

"It's a great opportunity for candidates to ask employers and for employers to be transparent," Salemi said. "Not only safety. What are your plans to open the office? Is this a remote position? Will it be remote in the long term? Find out how they handled 2020. Were there layoffs? Salary increases?"

• #5. More companies and job seekers will turn to gig work.

Many industries are still hesitant to bring back staff or add to their workforce. "The important thing to remember as job seekers is it may not be your Plan A, but Plan B can turn into Plan A, " Salemi added.

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