Each year, professional networking platform LinkedIn releases a list of big ideas that will shape the new year. Last year’s list predicted that 2021 would be the year we returned to the office, focused our leadership style on character, and designated more C-suite seats to women, among other thoughts.
So what does 2022 have in store for us and how did these 29 ideas come to be?
LinkedIn editors reach out to their community of Influencers, Top Voices, and frequent contributors to share the ideas that they believe will define the year ahead. Read on for a selection of handpicked thoughts and speculations from LinkedIn editors on where they predict we’ll go from here — personally, professionally, and everywhere else in between amid a pandemic.
The changing workplace 2.0
The Great Shuffle, The Great Resignation — a lot of terms were used to define the changing workplace in 2021. Looking ahead, expect more of the same, especially for professionals in their 20s and 30s. Professional nomading is here to stay. The ability to work from anywhere will also very likely become the ultimate, most desired employee perk.
Mental health matters
Just as we saw the pandemic affect mental health in the workplace, we’ll see the topic come into sharper focus in 2022. Even as life normalizes, pandemic-induced anxiety and depression will have lasting effects. Mental health advocates predict a ‘lost generation’ if the issue goes unresolved.
Big tech > government
Hello, metaverse. Experts predict that Big Tech will rival (and very likely supersede) global governments. “Tech giants’ influence will trigger plenty of backlash from leaders in the U.S., China and Europe, all of whom agree that they need to get tough on technology companies,” Ian Bremmer, president at Eurasia Group, shared in a LinkedIn article.
Entrepreneurship will become more diverse
If there’s one known outcome from The Great Resignation it’s that more people are going out on their own. Countless new businesses have emerged amid the pandemic. And while C-suite seats saw some diversification in 2021, the world of entrepreneurs remained largely unchanged. According to Crunchbase, less than 3 percent of venture capital funding went to female-founded companies during the first eight months of 2021. Black entrepreneurs received just over 1 percent of U.S. venture capital funding. What about 2022? Change is on the horizon, experts predict.
Read the full list of big ideas here.
