From the pandemic to economic fluctuations, there have been a lot of challenges for both companies and workers recently. During this tumultuous time, the quarterly Randstad RiseSmart Career Mobility Outlook reports have been tracking employers' (based on HR professionals' responses) and employees' observations on workplace matters, including the economy, internal career growth and progression, recruitment trends, and skilling. As detailed in the third quarter 2021 report, while employers and employees shared some similar perspectives, particularly related to worker readiness to support business goals, workers had dimmer outlooks overall.

Economy. Employers were more optimistic than employees about the economy. By Q3, about half of employers continued to have a positive outlook. The report notes that those with larger workforces had more confidence that they could overcome challenges with the resources they have. Yet nearly two-thirds of workers had a pessimistic outlook. "It is clear that employees feel the brunt of various economic issues and are more insecure about their futures," the researchers call out.

Hiring and internal mobility. Most companies in Q3 anticipated hiring and planned to turn to internal hires to fill those positions. Likewise, the majority of employers said their managers are open to internal mobility. The report notes that this is an ideal way to retain talent and a means for companies to move forward with plans considering the current labor market.

In the first half of 2021, half of employees were confident that internal job opportunities were available, and up-wards of 60 percent in Q2 considered their managers open to such job shifts. But researchers identified that the economic changes in Q3 dampened employees' outlooks. Only about four in 10 retained their confidence in internal mobility; around the same number were confident in manager support.

Skilled and ready. Employers and workers align more in their outlooks about having the right skills to meet organizational objectives. According to the report, three-quarters of employers said their workers are skilled to tackle business challenges. Nearly the same amount of employees agreed they are prepared to achieve business goals.

Skilling opportunities. Despite the outlook alignment on preparedness, employees are far more pessimistic about the availability of career development opportunities within their companies. About three out of four employers said they are offering skilling and career development, but only half of employees agreed.