Whether or not a recession looms, Black and brown workers are using career cushioning to stay marketable and confident in a changing job market.
After months of speculation about a recession, President Biden told PBS NewsHour says we won’t see a recession in 2023 or 2024. Do you believe him? According to a new LinkedIn survey, if he’s wrong, most of us aren’t too worried, anyway.
Andrew McCaskill, a senior director and career expert at LinkedIn, says African-American and Latino workers are experiencing high confidence levels in their careers. He credits the confidence to “career cushioning,” a term to describe workers keeping their options open and staying marketable, even with a job.
“They’ve been working on their networks, reaching out to people they used to work with, where they currently work with, people from church, their sorority sisters or their frat brothers just saying, ‘Yo, what are you seeing right now?’” said McCaskill.
Black women, in particular, have been stacking up on their skills throughout the pandemic, locking them into even more confidence in the job market, according to the survey. Better yet, they are making decisions for the long run and avoiding short-sighted career moves.
“We are no longer talking about job security, and that’s big. That’s totally different. We’re now looking at career resilience. It’s not about the job in front of you or even the job you’re doing today,” said McCaskill, adding: “Most jobs are vehicles and not destinations. And so what we’re looking at now is how does the job I have today get me to how I want to work and where I want to work long term?”
The survey reports that 55% of Black professionals have the network, community, and resources to find a new job if they get laid off. If we can make it through a pandemic, we can find another job, if necessary. That’s the energy coming from this survey — and I’m not mad at it.
If you’re not feeling too confident in the job market right now, McCaskill has some tips for you on this week’s episode of “The Reset with Coach Tish.” Watch the conversation above.
Letisha Bereola is a life coach who helps ambitious women overcome burnout and reach their career goals, so they feel great at work and happy at home. She’s a former Emmy-nominated TV news anchor, Podcast host of AUDACITY, and a speaker. Learn more at www.coachtish.co.
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