Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for risk management consultants in the United States
Are risk management consultant jobs in demand?
Risk management consultant job and salary trends over time
Risk management consultant jobs over time
Risk management consultant job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,603 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 2,486 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,404 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,318 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,233 | 0.00% |
Average risk management consultant salary over time
Risk management consultant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $91,520 | $44.00 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $89,014 | $42.80 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $87,292 | $41.97 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $86,080 | $41.38 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $84,911 | $40.82 | +0.0% |
Risk management consultant jobs by state
Most common states for risk management consultants
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 718 | 103% |
| 2 | Delaware | 961,939 | 307 | 32% |
| 3 | Vermont | 623,657 | 194 | 31% |
| 4 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 178 | 31% |
| 5 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 879 | 28% |
| 6 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 281 | 27% |
| 7 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 234 | 27% |
| 8 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,212 | 26% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,643 | 24% |
| 10 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 951 | 23% |
| 11 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 476 | 23% |
| 12 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 170 | 23% |
| 13 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 780 | 22% |
| 14 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 385 | 21% |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 286 | 21% |
| 16 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 280 | 21% |
| 17 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 1,326 | 20% |
| 18 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 2,436 | 19% |
| 19 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,373 | 19% |
| 20 | Alaska | 739,795 | 136 | 18% |
Most common cities for risk management consultants
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 5 | 13% | $102,813 |
| 2 | Frankfort | 3 | 11% | $85,767 |
| 3 | Bethesda | 3 | 5% | $102,270 |
| 4 | Hartford | 5 | 4% | $100,236 |
| 5 | Lansing | 4 | 3% | $95,266 |
| 6 | Springfield | 3 | 3% | $90,163 |
| 7 | Boston | 13 | 2% | $103,291 |
| 8 | Washington | 11 | 2% | $102,445 |
| 9 | Montgomery | 4 | 2% | $82,033 |
| 10 | Tallahassee | 3 | 2% | $73,884 |
| 11 | Sacramento | 6 | 1% | $105,608 |
| 12 | Atlanta | 4 | 1% | $91,034 |
| 13 | Baton Rouge | 3 | 1% | $75,778 |
| 14 | Des Moines | 3 | 1% | $78,286 |
| 15 | Chicago | 10 | 0% | $92,307 |
| 16 | Los Angeles | 4 | 0% | $96,703 |
| 17 | Phoenix | 4 | 0% | $81,989 |
| 18 | Baltimore | 3 | 0% | $103,002 |
| 19 | Indianapolis | 3 | 0% | $76,143 |
Risk Management Consultant job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of risk management consultant experts
University of West Florida
Lewis-Clark State College
Coastal Carolina University
Florida State University
University of Nevada, Reno
Bradley University
Bucknell University
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas at El Paso
University of Central Missouri
Southern Utah University
Indiana University South Bend
St. Olaf College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Drexel University
Bay Path University
Saint Peter's University
Drew University
Molloy College
University of Georgia, Terry College of Business
What will help Risk Management Consultants increase their earning potential?
Dr. Haris Alibašić Ph.D., MPA: "In the next 3-5 years, specific skills are poised to become increasingly important in business: Data Literacy, Digital Proficiency, Emotional Intelligence, Sustainability, Resilience, and Social Responsibility. However, the most necessary lasting skill that benefited my career is Effective Communication. Being able to communicate effectively is an indispensable skill."
What skills will help Risk Management Consultants earn the most?
Jenny Scott: -Emotional Intelligence
-Relevant industry experience (expertise)
-Written and oral presentation communication
-Ability to relate and connect . . .the best strategy in the world will live on paper only if the leader is not able to relate to their people (all stakeholder groups) and connect. Leadership involves three key elements: People - Influence - Goals. The most effective leaders are able to ethically influence their followers for the purpose of attaining the organization's mission and goals.
Sourav Batabyal Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Finance and EconomicsCoastal Carolina University
Finance and Economics Department
What skills stand out on Risk Management Consultant resumes?
Sourav Batabyal Ph.D.: Problem-solving, Creative thinking, Data Analytics, Competitive Strategies, Communication, Leadership and Team Building, Decision making.
C. Darren Brooks Ph.D.
Assistant Department Chair and Executive Director, Center for Human Resource ManagementFlorida State University
Department of Management and the Center for Human Resource Management
What hard/technical skills are most important for Risk Management Consultants?
C. Darren Brooks Ph.D.: As stated earlier, the field of management is broad and encompasses all industries and sectors. Consequently, the technical skills necessary to succeed will vary according to the specific knowledge and experiences required to understand the nuances of an organization. Accordingly, graduates who have business acumen and technical competency in a particular discipline or industry would be better positioned for employment opportunities. As a result, I always place emphasis on gaining internships and work experience concurrently with academic study. These experiences will provide a real-world understanding of the type of skills necessary to succeed in organizations as well as offer industry-specific knowledge. However, for many graduates, their practical skills are limited. In this case, it is important to ensure you have more generalizable skills that are applicable across industries, such as building digital fluency, analytical fluency, writing skills, and strong Excel skills. When speaking with consulting firms and industry employers, they repeatedly reference the need for graduates to demonstrate more advanced Excel skills.
What skills will help Risk Management Consultants earn the most?
C. Darren Brooks Ph.D.: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in management occupations will grow over the next decade by 9%. Due to the broad array of management opportunities, variations in skills necessary for success are likely to exist based on the type of management work being performed and the industry or sector. However, there are general management skills or competencies necessary for success, including management consulting, that employers continually seek from graduates. The ten most sought-after skills include the following: critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, innovation/creativity, problem-solving, analytical fluency, digital fluency, adaptability, resilience, aptitude for collaboration and teamwork, and human capital management.
What soft skills should all Risk Management Consultants possess?
C. Darren Brooks Ph.D.: While advancements in technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics occupy center stage in many areas of management practice, soft skills continue to be seen as equally or even more important skills for success in the field of management. Soft skills are typically described as personal attributes, qualities, and characteristics that enable us to interact more effectively with others. In most fields of management, our ability to communicate, work with, and interact with other people constitutes a significant portion of the work we do. Consequently, employers are focused on identifying candidates who possess strong skills are areas of communication (verbal, written, and non-verbal), leadership and followership, collaboration, an ability to work in teams, intellectual curiosity, adaptability, conflict management, problem-solving, creativity.
Jim McClenahan
Director of Career and Corporate OutreachUniversity of Nevada, Reno
College of Business
What skills stand out on Risk Management Consultant resumes?
Jim McClenahan: Most importantly, skills that are customized for the job you are applying. Someone could work in a restaurant and have great customer management skills that would work well in a bank. The key is identifying "transferrable skills"-how what you did is relevant for the job you are applying. The applicant has to articulate that-don't expect the committee, screener, or HR Recruiter to make the connections. For business majors, the skills that differentiate applicants are technical skills when they are relevant to the job. Data analysis, coding, SQL are often looked for by employers that have a tech focus as preferred skills.
Candace Esken Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Management & LeadershipBradley University
Foster College of Business
What hard/technical skills are most important for Risk Management Consultants?
Candace Esken Ph.D.: The most important hard skills for management analysts are problem-solving, data analysis, and presentation skills. The central focus of their work revolves around solving problems for clients by analyzing large chunks of data and drawing meaningful conclusions. Analysts also spend a great deal of time creating sophisticated presentations to enhance communication with clients. Management Analysts should be especially skilled with excel and PowerPoint.
What soft skills should all Risk Management Consultants possess?
Candace Esken Ph.D.: Excellent communication skills are absolutely essential for management analysts. Usually, these skills are best demonstrated during the interview process with little room for error. In addition, applicants should have strong interpersonal skills because much of their job requires them to work with managers and employees of various organizations. Furthermore, soft skills such as leadership, confidence, and time management are highly valued.
Neil Boyd Ph.D.
David J. & Deborah West Professor of Management; Chair, Management and Organizations DepartmentBucknell University
Management and Organizations Department
What skills will help Risk Management Consultants earn the most?
Neil Boyd Ph.D.: A combination of hard and soft skills, but at the end of the day, soft skills are critical to truly helping clients. And, for sure, they can be learned. This is a challenge for management education, but places like the Freeman College of Management at Bucknell work hard to develop soft skills in students primarily through coaching, experiential and community-based pedagogies, and professional development programming.
What technical skills for a Risk Management Consultant stand out to employers?
Dr. Miguel Olivas-Luján Ph.D.: Of course, there is variation across industries, but the long lockdown months have highlighted the need for skills that make telecommuting and work from home more efficient and effective. The ability to use not just technologies but also work habits that allow collaboration mediated by information and communication tools has only become more valuable. With this, I mean that it is important to use Zoom, Teams, Skype, and similar technologies, but even more than that, scheduling, collaboration, creative, professional-grade, and timely delivery (in the absence of face-to-face interaction) is vital. If a higher proportion of work-from-home becomes predominant (as many commentators expect), these skills are likely to differentiate high-performers from their counterparts.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Risk Management Consultant job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Miguel Olivas-Luján Ph.D.: As the economy "reopens" (thanks to appeased fears of contagion driven by vaccination, herd immunity, people worn out by the lockdowns, warmer weather, etc.), we should see workforce adjustments across industries and occupations. Already in March, unemployment was returning to 6% (from a high of 14.8% in April 2020, but after a low of 3.5 in February 2020; https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000). Barring unexpected resistance in the virus variants or other influences, the summer and fall months should give us better job market numbers, but this recovery seems to be benefitting some population segments more than others. The unemployed rate for teenagers was at 13%, followed by Blacks (9.6%), Hispanics (7.9%), Asians (6%), adult men (5.8%), and adult women (5.7%; more detail is available at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm).
How have salaries changed over time for Risk Management Consultants?
Dr. Miguel Olivas-Luján Ph.D.: Again, there is wide variation across industries and occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a nationwide drop (relative to the previous month) of 4 cents in average hourly earnings for workers on private payrolls, but an increase of 2 cents for private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees; little changes were observed for healthcare and information employers (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm). The largest gains (on a yearly basis) were reported by the Financial activities sector, and the lowest by Mining and logging (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t19.htm). Unfortunately, the BLS does not publish regional data, but I am confident that some states have observed more gains than others.
What's a day at work look like for a Risk Management Consultant?
Tom Fullerton: Work days may differ substantially every week of the year. Some days may involve working in largely empty office suites as human resource departments try to ensure that social distancing minimizes infection rates. Many days will involve working from home using laptop computers, tablets, and other electronic devices. Zoom and Skype meetings will remain part of the landscape.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Risk Management Consultant job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Dan Jensen: There will be a combination of opportunities and losses across the next 3-5 years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many industries will find it difficult to recover such as hospitality (hotels, restaurants, etc.), entertainment (movie theatres, night clubs, casinos, etc.), manufacturing, and educational services. But many industries and career pathways are opening up because of the use of online technologies. Positions that include remote work that leverage technology will remain and probably increase across time. Supply chain, project management, eCommerce, computer science, data science ("big data"), digital content, and artificial intelligence specialists will continue to increasingly be in demand. The healthcare industry has been in flux because of increasing costs but will emerge on the other side of the pandemic with opportunities for nurses, healthcare support staff, and related technologies (e.g., the "electronic healthcare record"). Irrespective of the pandemic, careers in sales or customer relationship management (CRM) will continue to be a popular launching point for recent college graduates.
The recruitment/hiring process is likely to become much longer than in the past and will rely on virtual interviews instead of face-to-face. With a high unemployment rate, it will be more difficult for younger, less experienced candidates to get hired. This is not great news for recent college graduates, but all is not lost.
Networking has always been the number one way that people find work opportunities. The skill is more important than ever. My recommended approach is to: identify a list of companies where you would like to work; research job postings within the company (and apply!) while simultaneously identifying contacts at the company (LinkedIn is a great tool to do this); then reaching out to contacts by using your existing network for an introduction (identify someone you know is already connected to the person you want to meet and ask them to forward a letter of introduction on your behalf). This leads to an "informational interview" (not a job interview); a chance to speak with someone about the company and its culture.
How have salaries changed over time for Risk Management Consultants?
Dr. Dan Jensen: According to the Society for Human Resources, salary projections for 2021 are being reconsidered by many employers and plans for salary increases or bonuses may not be as large as projected. Salary expectations will vary with industry, role, and level of experience. 35-40% of US businesses have frozen salaries at 2020 levels. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a modest 3.0-3.5% increase is expected overall. Technology-driven roles are seeing among the largest increases in starting salaries as the battle to acquire talent continues to be highly competitive. Customer-focused roles with a technological focus (e.g., Customer Experience, CX) positions are also increasing compared to the past. Roles in accounting, finance, and general administration will see minimal change from the past year and vary based on industry rather than on the specific job title.
What technical skills for a Risk Management Consultant stand out to employers?
Camille Thomas Ph.D.: Exercise Science majors will want to be skilled in remote instruction, tele-health platforms, technical writing, and data analysis to stand out to employers. Also, in light of what we have learned from the pandemic, students should improve their communication, problem-solving, innovation, and resourcefulness. Employers will be looking for individuals that can be flexible and adapt.
What's a good job out of college for Risk Management Consultants?
Huanan Xu Ph.D.: I believe a good job could offer you the opportunity to empirically apply what you have acquired in school at the same time connect to your long-term career goal.
It's not always easy to locate a dream job at the first attempt out of college. Some first job might be tedious, and some might be too challenging. But this is the first opportunity where a student could apply theories learned from book to real world cases. I would recommend taking this opportunity to bring fresh ideas to team that may transfer into real productivity. I would also recommend making a short-term (1-year) and a long-term (5-year) career plan to vision clearly what is the path you want to follow. Comparing your current achievement at work with your long-run goal can help to see discrepancies and figure whether what you are doing would lead to where you want to be in the future.
What soft skills should all Risk Management Consultants possess?
Allison Luedtke Ph.D.: A couple of years ago, a recruiter for a major investment bank emailed me to ask if she could speak with my economics class about the job prospects at her firm. I was somewhat surprised because her firm has a lot of name recognition and was not particularly local. She said that they were desperate to hire graduates from liberal arts colleges because these graduates have the technical skills (programming, statistics, etc.) but they also have "soft" skills like clear communication, abstraction, problem solving, and team building. Students should seek out opportunities to build these skills, especially if they do not typically do this. For example, I did not particularly enjoy group projects when I was a student, but I am so grateful for the courses in which I had to work in a group to complete an assignment, because it made me a better economist, researcher, and teacher.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Risk Management Consultant job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Robert Gitter: 2021 is going to be a tough year for new college graduates to enter the job market. They currently face a much higher unemployment rate-almost four percent-than they did before the pandemic began. The good news, though, is that the rate is still less than half that experienced by those with only a high school diploma. The job market will improve as the pandemic (hopefully) is brought under control but it might be a few years until we see employment and earnings for college graduates recover to pre-pandemic levels.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Risk Management Consultants?
Lauren D’Innocenzo Ph.D.: The coronavirus pandemic has certainly tightened the job market, with fewer available jobs in many sectors such as the service industry, but at the same time, has created many other opportunities for graduates in fields such as healthcare and supply chain. For new graduates, strategically considering opportunities may help to overcome some of the challenges presented in the current economy.
For example, if you are looking to gain experience in service, applying to service-oriented positions in IT or healthcare may offer more opportunities and give you more breadth of experience. I believe the potential for an enduring impact exists in a graduate's ability to adapt to changing demands and willingness to cast a wider net for available positions. Graduates who are myopically focused and unwilling to test their knowledge in different areas may not see the same opportunities, and over time, the lack of opportunities can add up. Now is a great time to work on your resilience and flexibility.
What type of skills will young Risk Management Consultants need?
Lauren D’Innocenzo Ph.D.: We are seeing more and more the need for core skills (formerly known as soft skills). These skills include being able to work in a team, leadership, critical problem-solving, and negotiations, to name a few. Many employers see these skills as transferable across contexts and increase the likelihood that the individual will be able to work with others and think outside of the box in collaborative, knowledge-intensive environments. We know that much of the learning for jobs occurs on the job and having these core skills can really help you to stand out as a team-oriented individual, who is willing to think beyond their own needs, and can learn organizational-specific skills needed to succeed in the employer's company.
What experience really stands out on Risk Management Consultant resumes?
Lauren D’Innocenzo Ph.D.: Similar to above, having experience around these core skills can really help anyone, including new graduates, stand out from the crowd. This experience can come from taking courses designed to build these skills or engaging in positions or internships that provide opportunities to grow these skills. For example, at Drexel University, we offer a program (Organizational Management) designed specifically to grow these skills through experiential learning that any student can take, regardless of undergraduate major. Outside of the classroom, being a peer leader, working as a camp counselor, or taking on an internship working in a team can be very helpful in building these skills. The key is to highlight these opportunities and skills in your resume. Don't just talk about the tasks you did, but describe the core skills needed for the position and built as a result of the position.
Additionally, remote and virtual work is not going away anytime soon. In fact, many organizations have offloaded brick and mortar locations and have strategically decided to rely more on remote business. Now more than ever, demonstrating your ability to successfully work in a remote environment will be extremely favorable for many employers.
Eleni Barbieri
Adjunct ProfessorBay Path University
School of Science and Management
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Risk Management Consultant job market given the pandemic?
Eleni Barbieri: The online shopping model already had a headstart before the pandemic, and the pandemic has exponentially increased this trend. Retail sale supervision and management positions are going to decrease. Computer programming, network management, internet security, warehouse management, logistics, and delivery-related employment positions are going to increase. Also, computers have enabled more and more large corporations to allow employees to work from home. Initially originating from a need to isolate employees during the pandemic, corporations are seeing great benefits with this practice, with little or no reduction in work output and high dollar value in not having to maintain workspaces for employees. Sadly, due to a tragic decrease of generation X consumers, due to the pandemic, businesses that targeted and relied on that segment of the population will suffer.
Specifically in the area of legal services, you will see a greater difficulty in recruiting and keeping entry-level service providers. The pandemic exposed the contamination risks to those working within in the legal service profession. The risk of future pandemics, current portrayal of the legal services profession in the media, and the ever-compounding avalanche of retirements due to those factors, will create a need for employers to find incentives for people to enter and stay in this demanding field of service.
Joseph Gilkey Ph.D.
Chair Business Administration, Director, Data Science Institute, Director of MBA and MSA Masters Programs, Associate Professor Department of Business AdministrationSaint Peter's University
Department of Business Administration
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Risk Management Consultant job market given the pandemic?
Joseph Gilkey Ph.D.: The job market has become much tighter, and because of that we are seeing that employers have become much more selective in their hiring process, pushing the bar up on skill sets required of the applicant.
What Risk Management Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Joseph Gilkey Ph.D.: As I mentioned earlier, with employers pushing the bar higher on expectations and more and more focus being placed on data, build skill sets in the area of analytics. Being able to use data to understand business problems would help to enhance the person's ability to compete in the marketplace today.
What general advice would you give to a Risk Management Consultant?
Joseph Gilkey Ph.D.: Continue to build skill sets and never stop learning. Look to understand and use new technologies, like AI. Stay current and relevant in the areas you want to work in. There are many ways to accomplish this, from self-study programs to colleges and universities.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Risk Management Consultant job market given the pandemic?
Christopher Andrews: One of the biggest trends we are seeing is that the pandemic is further exacerbating existing inequalities in the labor market. Highly educated workers in stable jobs that can telework have largely been able to carry on working remotely, while social distancing requirements have devastated blue-collar and working class jobs that require close, in-person contact. Large numbers of small businesses have also gone out of business, creating a knock-on effect that ripples through industries as well as communities.
The pandemic also revealed how interdependent business and industries are; when travel declined, so did jobs in entertainment, restaurants, and tourism. It also revealed the increase in precarious work: part-time, on-demand jobs that pay low wages and offer few, if any, benefits.
We also learned that many low-paying, low-status jobs are actually essential to our survival, including delivery persons, health aides, janitors, and grocery store clerks. Similarly, the shift to remote, online instruction highlighted the importance and value of teachers and day care workers. Many parents found it difficult to balance their children's schooling and manage their own work. I hope that as the pandemic recedes, Americans will not forget how important these jobs are in allowing parents to focus their time and energy on work.
Collectively, it's a bit like Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities; those with high levels of education in professional jobs have weathered the pandemic fairly well, if not prospered, while those with less education in blue-collar manufacturing and service jobs have found themselves either out of work or facing the possibility of working in conditions that increase their risk of infection.
On the upside, we observed some notable successes for workers: strikes by workers at Amazon, Instacart, and Whole Foods resulted in hazard pay and improvements in workplace safety, while workers successfully formed unions in difficult-to-organize tech companies such as Google and Kickstarter. Businesses may also expand or make permanent temporary flexible work arrangements that have been adopted during the pandemic, reducing commutes, traffic jams, and stress. Organizations have been forced to be creative in ways they previously haven't, and we may see changes in workplace policies that make balancing work and family a little easier.
What skills stand out on Risk Management Consultant resumes?
Christopher Andrews: A combination of hard skills and soft skills. While hard skills include things like data analysis or experience using specific computer program applications, employers also value important soft skills such as attention to detail, time management, and teamwork. The latter might be implied or taken for granted but are critical nevertheless, especially for customer-facing jobs or those involving working with a group. While we're pretty good at defining and describing hard skills, I think we need to do better in helping students to articulate their soft skills and learn how to translate academic experiences and knowledge into things employers understand and value.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Risk Management Consultants to find work opportunities?
Christopher Andrews: While many could've migrated away from cities during the pandemic, cities and metropolitan areas will probably also be the places that bounce back the quickest and on the largest scale. After all, that is where the majority of businesses and consumers are located. Areas surrounded by colleges and universities, places like Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, will also benefit from the close proximity to a pipeline of college graduates. Students in places like these might very well find that their next job isn't too far from campus!
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Risk Management Consultant job market given the pandemic?
Brian Noll: The pandemic, for the most part, has not had an impact on the job market for students graduating from Molloy College with an accounting degree. The students of ours that had commitments at medium to large (Big 4) accounting firms started their positions as planned, albeit in a remote capacity. We experienced only a few individuals that had start dates deferred for a few months. In addition, the majority of our accounting students have been successful in obtaining internships for the fall of 2019 and spring of 2020.
What general advice would you give to a Risk Management Consultant?
Brian Noll: To "put your head down" and do your work! Never complain about having to work additional hours as this is the norm in the accounting profession. Having a good work ethic is essential to success in your career. Lastly, stay off your phone! Your phone should be used for personal matters on your own time and not during work hours.
Ron Aubé Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of ManagementUniversity of Georgia, Terry College of Business
Department of Management
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Risk Management Consultant job market given the pandemic?
Ron Aubé Ph.D.: Covid-19 raised awareness about the importance of trust and flexibility in the workplace. Organizations have been forced to explore options beyond traditional office solutions and learned to adapt for different tasks and projects while maintaining employee morale and productivity. Remote work and entrusting employees is not only possible, but necessary, as well as profitable. Companies found that employees can remain effective and productive, while enjoying increased job satisfaction and progressive organizations look for opportunities to arrange talent-sharing partnerships with other organizations.
Remote work has in some ways dehumanized employees and much remains to be done to prioritize the well-being of employees, treating them as people first and workers second. Personal factors promoting physical health and emotional well-being are trendy. Gartner (2020) finds that 32 percent of organizations are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure. The workforce will be increasingly distributed requiring new forms of management and leadership at the top and ways to enhance job satisfaction. Furthermore, the cross-generational workforce curve is being reshaped as many workers aged over 65 are retiring due to infection concerns. While young workers are currently more likely to be in jobs impacted by the crisis, this exodus of older workers opens the door for them to step in.
Unlike typical recessions where the consumption of goods collapses while services remain largely stable, this pandemic has created the opposite. The service industries (entertainment, travel, lodging, full-service restaurants, elective healthcare, and childcare) have been the most adversely affected driven by the impact of social distancing (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Employment opportunities in production, transportation, storage, and selling of goods (excluding retail) are therefore expected to rise. Fueled by the new realities of social distancing and the increased need for digital collaborations in the workforce, fields related to artificial intelligence are growing at an accelerated pace.
Migration away from large urban centers is becoming noticeable as fewer people come to work and spend money in the city. As a result, the most significant drop in hiring has occurred in large metropolitan areas, while outside the cities, hiring is on the rise.
What Risk Management Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ron Aubé Ph.D.: Across all spheres of the working population, people have been forced to undertake a crash course in technology, from audio-visual meetings to other online collaborative media. These skills are crucial and the engine of change in our "new normal" world. Among the companies being forced to try telecommuting, it is a safe bet that many will decide to adopt this more economical and efficient work arrangement and allow people to work from home.
Connecting with people remotely and bringing energy to communications requires excellent written communication and creativity in interacting via modern technology. A recent Gartner poll showed that 48 percent of employees will likely work remotely at least part of the time after COVID-19 versus 30 percent before the pandemic. Collaborating digitally in a remote and distributed context will require adjusting the employee experience with new strategies, goal-setting and employee evaluations. Developing excellent communication skills is crucial. Learn how to write clearly, concisely, and quickly. Avoid long sentences, get to the point. People have a short span of attention. Captivate your audience in the beginning of your communication.
Model after other successful writers and practice, practice, practice! The only way to get better at writing is to write. The "new normal" will be kind to those who can communicate effectively and persuasively. The workforce is composed of five different generations and it's crucial for the new generation to learn how to collaboration with older cohorts. As such, without the need to show reverence for older workers, show respect and willingness to learn. Conversely offer help. Reverse mentoring is very popular in many organizations. Knowledge transfer is beneficial for all.
What general advice would you give to a Risk Management Consultant?
Ron Aubé Ph.D.: Be humble and coachable. Get several mentors and absorb all the knowledge you can from them. Learn from experienced workers and share your own knowledge. Older generations are not always as savvy with technology and reverse mentoring has proven productive whereas older experienced workers can teach the younger cohorts about how to navigate organizational and decision-making issues. Remote work has made this a bit more challenging but not impossible. Build your network. Get involved in everything and anything related to your field of expertise. Be seen. Share your knowledge. Be confident, yet humble and open to new ideas.
As the workplace is still undergoing significant behavior change forced by Covid-19, probably the best advice I could give to a graduate beginning her/his career is to be adaptable and seek to work for an organization with a culture of agility and innovation. Organizations refusing to change and adapt are doomed to fail ultimately. As a young graduate with the knowledge of technology, you have an enormous advantage over workers not possessing the ability to navigate the digital world so easily. Take advantage of it.