LinkedIn round-up: A rural supermarket, data, retirement, and tech

Here is a round-up of the articles HR Leader came across on LinkedIn recently: the opening of a supermarket has done wonders for a rural town, Gartner provides data and analytics predictions, retirement is impacting the talent market, and tech companies are downsizing headcounts.

Community renewed through supermarket opening

ABC News published a LinkedIn article discussing a new supermarket that’s opened in the rural northern Queensland town of Normanton.

The Indigenous-owned and operated store provides locals with job opportunities that will help to bolster the community.

According to ABC News, some locals were previously travelling 150 kilometres to Karumba and back as it was cheaper than shopping locally. Now the new solar-powered cyclone-resistant supermarket will make locals’ lives easier.

Community leader Fred Pascoe commented: “The community is really taking ownership over this. The kids are making it a regular hangout.

“We’ve got pensioners going in there to have a coffee in the air conditioning. We’ve got everyone from grandmothers to high-school students behind the registers.”

Gartner’s data predictions

Gartner has released 100 Data and Analytics Predictions Through 2026, a webinar for data and analytics predictions for the next few years, posted on LinkedIn.

The webinar discussed the significance that data and analytics would have on industries in coming years, strategies to help businesses adapt to change, and the impact that data initiatives will have.

To listen to 100 Data and Analytics Predictions Through 2026, click here.

Early retirement affecting talent market

Jonathan Boys from CIPD posted a UK Parliament report to LinkedIn, which says early retirement and ageing populations are causing talent shortages.

According to Where have all the Workers Gone? by the Economic Affairs Committee, “economic inactivity has increased by 565,000 people since the start of the pandemic”. This is reportedly the opposite of what was happening prior to 2020, with the main contributor to this change being early retirement.

Lord Bridges of Headley said in a statement: “Why have so many workers left the workforce, after years of declining inactivity? Earlier retirement seems to be the biggest reason.”

He continued: “Those who are already economically inactive are becoming sicker, meaning they’re less likely to return to work. So, while other factors were previously masking the impact of an ageing population on the size of the workforce, they are now reinforcing it.”

Tech companies reducing headcount

The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) posted an article to LinkedIn outlining how companies are letting go of a significant number of staff.

According to SMH, Microsoft let go of 10,000 employees, Google 12,000, and Amazon 18,000. This is also being experienced in start-ups, with Linktree reportedly letting go of 17 per cent of its workers.

Delivery services like Deliveroo left Australia, and YourGrocer shut completely.

SMH said that while unemployment is at record lows, the tech industry is still experiencing unpredictable turmoil that hopefully doesn’t become the norm.