When the Great Recession took away a generation of new designers between 2007 and 2012, hiring basic and intermediate level designers became an issue. The average years of experience for designers rose from 8 to 12. Designers who held on through the downturn were mostly re-hired in 2011–12, and new designers have entered the field since then, but available design candidates have become scarce, thanks to a booming housing economy and higher wages.
Whatever happened to the pre-Great Recession designer who changed jobs and relocated to better their career? Time and a family happened! During the Great Recession, designers got older, got married, started having kids, and settled down. The decision to relocate became harder when a family was involved, with school, the spouse’s job, and social circles making the choices even more difficult. When new job offers were either lateral or barely increasing from post-Great Recession highs, it was even harder to choose to move.
In addition to the Great Recession affecting older designers, the overall mindset of the new generation of designer had changed. The ‘00’s ended badly for many of their parents who had lost homes to foreclosures, and many parents were forced to relocate to remain in their field. Relocation became a penalty, not a reward. Even if it wasn’t your family, you probably knew someone who went through difficult times, lost friends, had to downsize, relocate, and learned relocation risk was less valuable, even when coupled with career advancement opportunities. Adding everything up, the bond between family and friends became greater than the desire to advance through relocation.
Design jobs go remote: When design and project management software, and the ability to work in the cloud, started to improve, designers were among the first in our industry to leave the office and work from home. It may have started with a few days a week, but eventually many designers were working from home on a full-time basis. Still, many employers did not embrace the work from home ethos. Design Managers resisted the move to let designers work from home, stating logistics and access by other departments for questions made it too difficult to manage.
Enter COVID lockdowns: Everyone who can is working remote now. Entire design departments transitioned to remote, including the design manager. If any are left in the office, it is a limited basis or working with sales and production on repairs, design issues, and cutting. The industry has adapted to lockdowns by creating workable systems that not only allow designers and others to work remotely, it allows them the freedom to consider relocation as a reward again.
Live anywhere, living the dream: Now that designers are working remotely, they can do it from anywhere. As I have told people over the last 30 years, give me an internet connection and cell service and I can work from on top of a mountain, which I did for almost 20 years. Many are relocating, but not for another job’s location, it’s for their “Perfect Place.”
What’s next? Work-Life-Balance: WLB started to seep into our industry a few years ago, and voices advocating for it have only gotten louder. Designers are enjoying the benefit of working from home. They can interact with family and friends, see their kids play sports in the afternoon, and work on a flexible schedule. Getting the job done has become the requirement, rather than simply clocking time during designated hours. The more they can flex their hours, live where they want, and enjoy life while still getting the job done, the more they feel a need to rethink Work-Life-Balance. I’ve noticed a trend lately with designers who have worked remote for years, pounding out 45–60 hours a week, now wanting to work fewer hours. No longer wanting to maximize income with the industry average 45-hour week, they seek more flex time to enjoy life. If I had to guess where hours are going for these folks, it would be in the 35+ hour range. They are willing to give up overtime for more time to flex, even at the cost of gross earnings. Still, the designers I see who are looking to improve their Work-Life-Balance are more experienced, higher skilled, and already making higher wages. Most are not looking for increases (though some are), and they prioritize lower hours and having more control over when they work, as long as they get the job done.
My take: While lowering hours is currently the exception, the future may see more pressure on Work-Life-Balance, or the economy may force everyone to rethink their priorities like it did during the Great Recession or COVID lockdowns. For now, the housing market is still strong and lockdowns are fading, but remote design as a precedent is here to stay. Need to hire designers? You may need to change your expectations, be that hours worked, remote or in office, flex hours, or Work-Life-Balance.
What say you? You can reach me at twm@thejobline.com