Randstad CEO Sander van ’t Noordende has a warning about the rapidly changing job market. The chief executive of the world’s biggest talent company agrees that the white-collar job market is currently frozen and the traditional path from college to an office is “dead”. In a recent interview, van ’t Noordende warned that as artificial intelligence (AI) is absorbing entry-level office roles, many young people have fewer options. He suggested that the future of work is shifting toward skilled trades and technical roles rather than desk jobs.
In an interview with Fortune, van ’t Noordende explained: “Jobs will change—and are changing—but also new jobs will emerge. There is a massive demand in skilled trades, mechanical engineers, machine operators, maintenance engineers, forklift drivers, truck drivers—you name it.”
As the white-collar job market appears to be stuck, van ‘t Noordende said it’s no longer “good advice” to tell young people to follow their passions.“No, learn a craft or a trade or a skill or a profession, where you can make a good living and provide for you and your family, is much better advice than follow your passion,”he noted.This warning comes as tech leaders have repeatedly warned that AI is already performing as well as entry-level workers and could reduce white-collar jobs by half by 2030. A recent “first-of-its-kind” Stanford University study found that the new technology is already having a “significant and disproportionate impact” on Gen Z.
Roles like bartenders and baristas are now seeing bigger pay increases than office workers.To support his point, van ’t Noordende pointed to a recent move by the UK government, which announced plans to spend $965 million on apprenticeships. The aim is to help tens of thousands of unemployed young people move into jobs seen as necessary for the future, mainly in hospitality, retail and AI.
Randstad CEO’s advice to young people who are about to start college
Advising young people who are about to start college, van ’t Noordende said, “People need to reflect on—taking a student loan, going to college and being trained or educated for a profession that is rapidly changing—whether that’s still the right path. We all grew up, with our parents saying, ‘go do something in college or university and then do something in an office,’ that path that used to work for a long time is starting to break. You already see that with the graduates finding it harder to find a job. You see that in professions like marketing, communications, design… just look at how good AI already is at some of that.”For people who are set on going to college, van ’t Noordende said STEM subjects are still likely to be in demand. He noted that these subjects are studied in China at about twice the rate seen in the US and parts of Europe.
Meanwhile, for those who have already spent time and money on degrees that are becoming less useful, his advice was: “Retrain. Learning new skills always good.”“Look around you, and where you see the opportunities that match with your skills and your background and go there. He also warned that sometimes people may “have to bite the bullet and say, ‘Okay, this is not working,’”van ’t Noordende noted.He added that many people are in the same situation and are making similar changes. Moving from an office job to roles like plumber, teacher, or nurse often requires a change in mindset. He said this kind of shift should not be seen as a failure but as adapting to reality.“You have to come off your chair and build skills,” he added.