Recently, Lagou Recruitment and Zhihu released the "2023 Workplace Insight Report", which disclosed many workplace changes in the digital technology industry in 2023. The report shows that the industries with the most recruitment needs in 2023 are e-commerce, short video and artificial intelligence industries, with recruitment needs accounting for 6.9%, 5.9% and 5.1% respectively. The average monthly recruitment salary in the digital technology field in 2023 will be 13,840 yuan, a decrease of 7% year-on-year in 2022.

From the perspective of the development of the overall digital economy industry, the continued deepening of digital transformation has led to the rapid development of new energy vehicles, intelligent manufacturing and other industries, and the demand for digital technology talents continues to increase. The proportion of recruitment demand in the new energy automobile industry in 2023 will increase by 3.5% year-on-year in 2022, and the recruitment demand in the intelligent manufacturing industry will increase by 2.3% year-on-year, showing a continued growth trend.

The average recruitment monthly salary dropped by 7%. Are you going to quit?

Survey data from Lagou Recruitment and Zhihu show that the average monthly recruitment salary in the digital technology field will be 13,840 yuan in 2023, a 7% decrease from 2022. Among them, the average monthly recruitment salary for technical positions and design positions dropped significantly. Technical positions fell by 12% year-on-year, and design positions fell by 18% year-on-year.

At the same time, among the digital technology talents interviewed, 30% of the respondents work 40 hours a week; 48% work 40-50 hours a week; 16% work 50-60 hours a week; only 6% work more than 60 hours a week, and the 996 situation in the workplace is gradually disappearing.

Looking at the past ten years, 996 is actually not uncommon. Especially with the rapid development of the financial and Internet industries, the "996" and "007" work systems have become special products of the times. In 2023, the digital technology industry is changing.

Behind this, on the one hand, nearly 60% of the digital technology talents surveyed will not have a salary increase in 2023. The data shows that 56% of the digital technology talents surveyed said that the company has no salary increase this year, and 17% of the respondents even said that the company has implemented a salary reduction policy, and there is insufficient endogenous motivation for "volume" in the workplace.

On the other hand, more than 80% of digital technology talents surveyed use AI tools to improve efficiency in the workplace. Data show that 55% of digital technology talents surveyed use AI tools intermittently in the workplace, 29% of respondents often use AI tools in the workplace, and only 16% of respondents never use AI tools in the workplace. Among them, ChatGPT, AI copywriting tools, and AI translation tools have become the top three commonly used auxiliary tools in the workplace. AI tools can help professionals improve work efficiency and save time and energy.

Anxiety about “age crisis” remains

Although it is no longer so complicated, in the digital technology industry, age anxiety among those aged 35+ has become increasingly serious. Zhihu platform data shows that since 2023, the search index for the keyword "age crisis" has increased by 146.42% year-on-year.

When people reach middle age, as they grow older, workers begin to feel confused about what to do next. Facing the age crisis, the only thing that can be done is improvement and change.

Those who were born before 1985 love to take the initiative to engage in involution, while those born after 1996 and those born in 2000 are too lazy to take the initiative to engage in involution. The amount of money spent by the "post-85s generation" on self-improvement has gradually increased, with an average consumption of more than 1,000 yuan in half the years.

According to survey data from Lagou Recruitment and Zhihu, nearly 90% of digital technology talents surveyed said that there are few positions suitable for them in the current job market, it is difficult to get offers, and there is great uncertainty in the job market.

Faced with employment uncertainty, working people are actively looking for ways to deal with it. Half of the respondents increased their income through side jobs to cope with future changes. 35% of the respondents said they would no longer pursue high salaries but choose more suitable job opportunities. 8% of the respondents would start their own business and work for themselves. Another 4% of the respondents said they would switch careers to do actual business, such as sales.

Among the respondents who chose to generate income through side hustle, more than 60% of the respondents have already started side hustle. They continue to explore new opportunities and business models through side hustle to generate income to achieve the improvement of personal value and the enhancement of economic security.

Over 70% of talents have downgraded their consumption, so they can save money on food and accommodation.

Faced with the uncertainty of the job market, although working people are willing to spend more money to improve themselves, in life, more working people in the digital technology industry have joined in the consumption downgrade.

Survey data shows that 71% of digital technology talents surveyed said they have downgraded their consumption. Analysis of the consumption downgrade data of different age groups shows that the degree of downgrade is distributed in an inverted V shape. From 1991 to 1995, 74% of the respondents’ consumption downgrades accounted for the highest proportion.

In terms of investment in catering, 34% of respondents in the digital technology industry spend less than 20 yuan on daily work meals, and 53% of the respondents spend 20-50 yuan on daily work meals.

In terms of rental investment, nearly 80% of the respondents have a monthly investment of less than 3,000 yuan. Among them, 15% of the respondents have a monthly rental of less than 1,000 yuan, 63% of the respondents have a monthly rental of 1,000-3,000 yuan, and 14% of the respondents have a monthly rental of 3,000-5,000 yuan.

The report suggests that in this changing era, working people need to be more keenly aware of changes and trends in the workplace, and at the same time, they must actively respond to various challenges, keep pace with the times, maintain an optimistic attitude, and create their own professional future.