Outplacement plays major role in navigating pandemic

Outplacement programmes are services that help a terminated employee transition to a new job.

Data from over 300,000 outplacements, collated by talent and career management experts Right Management, shows that 79 percent of employees that used outplacement in 2020 moved to a new role with the same or higher position. While 57 percent of candidates found a position with the same or a higher salary, offering workers real opportunity to continue their career despite having to leave a company.

Commenting on the findings, Ian Symes, global brand leader at Right Management, said: “The pandemic has happened at a time when the jobs market was experiencing transformation as a result of digitisation and shifting skills needs. The skills employees need today are very different to those that were needed just a few years ago and COVID-19 has accelerated this change.

“The pandemic has led many employers to review the skills and roles they really need: those that have been let go will need tailored support to transition to new roles in this fast changing market, and ensuring workers are supported throughout their careers, including transition, is vital. Our data shows that employees are increasingly changing job role and function, highlighting the importance of agility and transferable soft skills such as communication.

“With remote working here to stay, employers now have access to a global talent pool: career mobility will be key not only for workers but also for employers seeking in-demand talent.”

The data also shows how employees need to be agile to find a new position, with 48 percent of candidates changing job roles as they transitioned through outplacement in 2020.

Candidates who are going through outplacement programmes need skills relevant to a new set of roles, as workers transitioning between jobs are increasingly changing the sectors they work in, with nearly half (49 percent) of outplacement candidates moving to a different industry.

This is the highest proportion of people changing industries in the last eight years. The workers that most utilised outplacement programmes in 2020 came from functions including IT (21 percent), sales (12 percent) and finance (nine percent).