Remaking the World in the Year Ahead
We are looking forward to another fantastic year of growth and opportunity, and we are geared up to meet the challenges ahead. 2021 saw an already tight job market combined with the pandemic-induced need for IT workers to create a white-hot job market. The sudden shift to remote work led to a [heightened need for IT specialists](https://halian.com/article/the-post-covid-talent-wars-the-scramble-for-workers-in-a-more-digital-world) who could help manage the greater reliance on remote and virtual technologies. Furthermore, the pandemic raised the demand for tech experts who will help build the technologies of tomorrow. If 2020 was a year of insecurity and ‘shelter in place’, 2021 saw the labour market emerge as restless. The [‘Great Resignation’](https://halian.com/article/navigating-the-great-resignation) caught many employers shorthanded in the tech sector as the hot job market emboldened many employees to pursue new opportunities. Times like these magnify the importance of working with trusted partners to solve tech staffing needs. Remote work has become normalised in many sectors. This is especially true in the tech sector, as many workers were forced out of the office. Fortunately, in many instances, these workers have obtained the tools and resources to accomplish their jobs away from the office building. In 2022, we expect the tight job market to continue and to have lasting ramifications on the expectations of the workforce. These days, workers are no longer content to hang on to an unsatisfying job. They expect a work environment that meets their needs. In addition to compensation, they are looking for challenging, meaningful work as well as [flexibility and a positive culture in the workplace](https://halian.com/article/adaptability-and-well-being). Some organisations may need to review their employment terms and benefits packages to ensure that employee wellness is at the core of their business. If not, they will have difficulty recruiting and retaining the top talent.
Technology Trends
In the coming year, we expect the world to become ever more data-driven. At the same time, we anticipate that consumers will insist on stronger, more coherent data privacy measures. While Europe has led the charge, countries and regions worldwide are forming and reforming their [data security and data privacy regulations](https://halian.com/article/the-data-privacy-challenge) in attempts to forge a path that protects the rights of citizens while also enabling the economic and social benefits of data-driven technologies. This year has shed light on the benefits of a data-driven approach to health care as technology makes it easier to identify COVID transmission hot spots and help to mitigate these risks on a societal level. The benefits of data for personal health care, or personalised medicine, also contribute to the need both for tech talent to develop the applications and secure the data. At the same time, there are fears about the potential use and abuse of medical data to discriminate against some people. It’s more evident than ever that we need human-centred to drive our lives and drive our economies forward. A concrete step in this transformation is our [partnership](https://halian.com/article/enabling-organisations-to-become-more-data-agile) with [SecondSight.AI](https://www.secondsight.ai/) to provide cutting-edge data science and artificial intelligence [Smart Services](https://halian.com/services/smart-services/data). This strategic partnership enables us to offer clients the very best in agile, data-driven decision making. We expect the demand for such expertise and technologies to expand rapidly in the coming year. [Cloud storage and computing will continue to expand](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/10/25/the-5-biggest-cloud-computing-trends-in-2022/) to support data analytics and flexible data storage. The demand for cloud computing talent will undoubtedly grow, and established companies will have to migrate to the cloud as new companies emerge as cloud-first.
