From Hesitation to Hope: The Salesforce job market Post-World Tour
Okay, first up — I get it — this is probably the 154th “My World Tour Wrap-Up!” blog you’ve seen in your LinkedIn this month.
You’re already across the hype around why Data Cloud is the best thing since sliced bread and how AI is going to transform every facet of your life and work.
Admittedly, I’m late to the party, but for good reason. Firstly, I’ve been reflecting on what to write.
How can I add value? What actual original insights could I share that you haven’t already consumed at the event yourself, or via a LinkedIn algorithm via a Salesforce expert via ChatGPT rehashing the same thing in 20 different ways?
As I ruminated over what I took from this year’s event, a single thought stuck with me: I’m really glad the Salesforce World Tour exists because it’s like an industry-wide temperature check.
So with that in mind, post-World Tour, am I feeling more optimistic about things, or is the industry still feeling under the weather?
First, some home truths
My goal with this piece is to provide a firsthand, unvarnished, and as useful as possible temperature check on the health of our industry from a seasoned Salesforce insider.
(You can use this info to confirm your own observations or to corroborate what others have said. If it helps you make an informed decision about your career — that’s great!)
Let’s start with some context: the last 12 months have been pretty weird in Salesforce land.
As economic smoke signals pointed to uncertain times ahead early last year, the brakes were quickly applied to the post-Covid boom. Job ads dried up, teams shrunk, and spending was cut.
We snapped out of a period of impressive sustained growth, to a period of contraction (from the job market perspective at least).
Technically, we’re still in this slow period. It’s no secret that there are fewer employment opportunities compared to this time a year ago.
Some job ads I publish now will get well over 100 applicants. This definitely wasn’t happening 12 months ago.
This reality can be disheartening, but it’s not all bad news. From my interactions at World Tour, I’m more confident about the coming 6-12 months.
Growth on the horizon
Amidst these real challenges, there’s also real sense of hope on the horizon, Here’s why:
From my discussions at the event, one such beacon of hope stems from Salesforce’s healthy performance and licence sales.
A surge in licence sales suggests that an increase in implementations are just around the corner. For those in the candidate market, this would translate into an increase in hiring activities.
If we look at the cyclical trends of selling licences in January, it typically means that vendors are selected by now, paving the way for imminent implementations. This, in turn, should kickstart a promising pipeline of projects, breathing new life into the job market.
The reality driving optimism
While macroeconomic trends often take time to manifest, their impact on the jobs is inevitable. The ripple effects of economic shifts are bound to reverberate, gradually steering us out of the current slow period.
With a cautious optimism in tow, most industry insiders I spoke with anticipated a more buoyant second half of 2024.
And it’s not just hubris. Despite the prevailing challenges, there are existential factors fueling this optimism. The sustained investments in AI and Data Cloud strategies underscore the industry’s (Salesforce’s) commitment to innovation and growth.
Economic indicators are inching towards a soft landing domestically, which also means there’s a fair chance in the medium term that the job market is poised for a resurgence. It’s just a matter of time before these positive trends manifest into tangible opportunities for candidates across the Salesforce ecosystem.
Nothing’s certain, but best be ready
As we look forward , it’s essential to look at the whole picture of opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. While the landscape may be shifting, resilience and adaptability have always remained our greatest assets in the tech industry.
In the meantime, Investing in your own upskilling initiatives and nurturing your professional networks can amplify your chances of success when things soon start to pick up again.
So, in terms of an event review, World Tour 2024 for me the biggest takeaway boils down to an informed cautious optimism.
There’s every reason to feel good about the future, just make sure you’re ready when things start to pick up.
And as always, I’m always open to chatting about these topics and how I can help you build a team or find the best path to move forward with your Salesforce career.
– Garth
