3 Must-Know Trends Impacting Engineers Today

"Millennials tend to migrate between jobs frequently. These young professionals are not “performance-driven.” Millennials are accepting information at face value regardless of the source.

I see all these as symptoms of "not benefiting from the fruits of your labor". When you constantly work for someone else, never purchasing/using/consuming the products/produce of your labor, a disconnect develops between work and (home/personal) life. and that leads to discontent. Do you know where that saying, "You made your bed, now lie in it.", came from? It came from recognizing that your work has personal consequences. In those conditions, you will take your performance more seriously. But, when you never use/see your own output, that becomes irrelevant. Since your work has no personal significance, then loyalty/perseverance at a particle job gets lost rather quickly (Why am I here? What am I really doing? Maybe I'll try THAT for awhile.). Sure, they'll believe any sales pitch given them, because they want to believe it. There's no reason not to.

The one trend I notice missing it the trend to follow trends, with trendy misinformation. We all know trends are superficial and soon forgotten, however, they have a tendency to place people and companies in eventual holes which become hard to dig out of.

Trends should be kept in their place; fashion. They already know what you are going to wear next summer/winter/spring/autumn and what colours you will wear. Planned a year in advance, at least. That is what keeps them in business, but trends in engineering and technology should stay well out in the periphery and never be allowed in. Having said that, one cannot change the mindset of those trained to have trends and expect trends to appear like clothing in the work place, It simply would not be hip or cool.

Cost saving, improved safety or quality, better work methods, better equipment to produce something, these are not trendy things, that is evolution taking place. Keep trends for women's/men's clothing, not the work place. It might catch on and then we are all up the proverbial river without a paddle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK2I73RPT-s

I know what you're saying. However, I believe "trends" are just a statistical data set. Neither a driver nor follower. Decisions based on trends alone, ARE superficial. But, trends showing where good decisions are going, is very useful. They key is to be mindful of how you make your decisions.

Millennials tend to jump jobs frequently, but there're two sides to the coin. Fewer companies are offering pensions to new employees and many are discontinuing contributing pensions to existing employees, so employees have little incentive to stay with a job if there is a better opportunity elsewhere.

"Key findings:

• In 2017, only 16% of Fortune 500 companies offered a DB plan (traditional or hybrid) to new hires, down from 59% among the same employers back in 1998.
• 51% of these companies still employ workers who are actively accruing pension benefits, and 93% of those who sponsored a DB plan in 1998 still manage plan obligations and assets.
• There has been an uptick in plan freezes since the 2008 financial crisis among plans that were already closed to new hires. In 2008, 20% of companies that had offered a DB plan in 1998 had frozen their pensions and 19% had closed their primary plan to new entrants. By 2017, 42% sponsored a frozen plan and 24% had closed their primary plan.
• More than half the pension sponsors in this analysis had a hybrid DB plan at some point, and 44% of them were still offering the same plan to new hires in 2017.
• Certain industry sectors, as well as employers whose pensions are relatively small (as compared with their market capitalization) and/or well funded, are more likely to offer a traditional pension plan to new hires.
• After eliminating a DB plan for new hires, most employers contribute more to the DC plan."

https://www.towerswatson.com/en/Insights/Newsletters/Americas/Insider/2018/02/evolution-of-retirement-plans-in-fortune-500-companies

:...but there're two sides to the coin.". Very true. It takes two to tango.

There has been a long standing saying in industry. "If you want loyalty, buy a dog".