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| Here they are: My predictions for 2013 |
If you’ve been keeping up with the blog, you know I am not
opposed to expressing my opinion. My opinion is usually based on early signs
that something is going right or wrong for the subject, but I do not take these
things lightly. I truly believe what I am about to predict is going to happen. Feel free to express your own thoughts as they relate to these recruitment and
technology predictions for 2013:
1.
Apple
will begin its decline.
It’s been a good run at the top. But since the innovator and product marketing
genius has left us in the form of one Steve Jobs, I see troubled waters ahead
for this giant of the computing/device world. As Jobs’ pipeline starts to be
reduced, the iPhone is no longer the revolutionary product it once was and Windows
Phone 8, while no one is buying it, gets great overall reviews and Microsoft
will stay with it. It is only a matter of time, I am afraid, that the Apple is
reduced to but a core of its former self.
2. ‘Bye. Bye.’ BestBuy
As with other big box stores that failed to remain relevant, I feel that BestBuy
will shutter most of its large stores. The proof is in the pudding. When an
electronic giant attempts to remain relevant by offering home goods such as
mattresses and loveseats in its own stores rather than expanding into the home
goods stores, I am pretty sure things are not going according to plan. I think
the chain will keep the kiosks going and Geek Squad will become more
independent of the stores. Unfortunately
and ultimately, in the end, they will go the route of Circuit City.
3. Microsoft Resurgence
I know this is related to number one, but it is worthy to address again. Microsoft
Surface and Phone will gain market share. Bing will not. (Google is doing it’s
magic to make SEO challenging, yet even more intuitive for users and purveyors
of goods and services online.) While the best product doesn’t always win,
especially when the best product is from a smaller company; in search, smart
phones, and tablets; it’s a battle of the titans, and I believe the best
product will win. There is simply nothing
better than Google for search. However, Windows Phone and tablets with their
tight integration into social networks and Microsoft office, along with PC integration,
will do well. After all, it took Xbox a
while but, it attained heights that no one ever thought possible; leaving PlayStation
and Nintendo to catch up.
4. Requiem for RIM
This is a ‘gimme.’ Blackberry and RIM will die. They will likely be
acquired for patents and the talent within. You just can’t come up with
innovations like this and it be all for nothing. It’s a sad story of just how
harsh business can be: A great idea thought up by some forward thinking
entrepreneurs; only to be reverse engineered and squashed, without the time or
resources to fight the battle.
5. Job Boards Head ‘South’
Job boards will begin their decline; only they will hide it well. I’ve
talked about how Monster was going to die. It is a former shell of itself. Even
the great CareerBuilder, with incredibly valuable data may have seen its final
curtain call. They will use their
partnerships with Facebook and the like to inflate numbers of browsers, but
companies will be using less job boards as employee referrals, social media,
and old fashioned relationships take hold as the primary way to hire. The
market is turning from employer driven to candidate driven (more passive
candidates) and with it so to will go the relevance of job boards.
6. Contingent Workforce Growth
As has been the trend in the IT industry and IT staffing, overall, I feel 1099 usage will decline and contingent labor through agencies will
increase. With crackdowns on 1099
contractors, it’s not worth the risk for many small businesses anymore. Also with the unemployment rates being on the
decline, people are becoming are harder commodity to find; skilled people; and
they will want flexibility and security. For the most part that is not synonymous with
1099’s. (Although, with healthcare being a major issue, it could be that more
companies go with contract labor but, if they do, the price will rise as fast
as the premiums.)
So there you have it: My predictions for 2013. I’ve been
wrong before; but keep an eye out for news regarding all of these topics, and those
we’ve touched upon in 2012, in the coming year. I wish the best to you and
yours this season.
Josh Kaplan writes on various subjects including
management, information technology breakthroughs, healthcare IT recruitment and innovations, big data, IT staffing and recruitment, and technical news and trends.
