While the tech industry has made headlines with layoffs announced at several major companies recently, widespread layoffs still have remained relatively scarce over the last six months. 

But other industries did experience layoffsnearly triple the rate compared to others. The arts, entertainment, and recreation sector, in particular, had an average layoff rate of 3.1% from June to November, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This adds up to an average of about 72,000 employees laid off per month.

The other top sectors for layoffs included construction, professional and business servicewhich includes jobs in accounting, engineering and computer servicesand the information industry. That sector covers those working in publishing, media, and telecommunications, as well as data processing. 

Tech layoffs have been very high profile, but the jobs are spread across the professional and business services as well as information sectors. And while those industries have seen a rise in layoff rates recorded by the BLS, the spike hasnt yet been severe. Part of this shallow rise might be because other non-tech companies are included in this sector and are doing better on the layoff front, Nick Bunker, economic research director for North America at the Indeed Hiring Lab, tells Fortune. 

Many tech companies also typically provide several weeks of lead time and severance packages up to six months. That means the data around discharges may be delayed until after those employees exit the payroll. So while we know about the layoffs, they may not yet be appearing in the data.  

Still, the number of layoffs is relatively low. While the layoff rates in many of these industries are high compared to other industries during that time period, many of these rates are actually low compared to pre-pandemic years, Bunker says, citing the construction industry as an example. Over the past six months, the average layoff rate in the construction sector was 1.8%, which is more than double the aggregate rate for the whole economy. But that's less than the 2.9% average layoff rate in 2019: 2.9%. 

Yet, workers should still consider the level of job stability associated with each industry when entering the job market for the first time or considering a change of career, says Derek Gallimore, CEO and founder of Outsource Accelerator.

While the difference between the percentages may at first appear small, we found that those in the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry are actually thirteen times more likely to be laid off than those working for the federal government, Gallimore adds. 

So what industries tend to be more stable, even in a recession or economic downturn? LinkedIn has found that sectors like utilities, education, consumer services, and even government jobs tend to be fairly stable. 

The data bears that out. Even with the market volatility, high inflation, and economic hardships during the second half of 2022, government employees saw the lowest rate of layoffs and discharges. 

Healthcare may also be a more stable sector as well this year, Bunker says. Healthcare has been a resilient sector due in part to the strong long-term demand for health services and already tight staffing in the field, he says.

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The US message comes alongside an agreement unveiled Tuesday with Mexico and Canada to coordinate investment in semiconductor manufacturing across the continent, including identifying chip investment opportunities and critical mineral resources and supporting education in advanced technologies.

Biden met with Andres Manuel López Obrador on Monday in Mexico City,  and the two agreed to set up high-level teams to spur economic cooperation on chips and other measures, officials familiar with the session said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The teams are still taking shape, but US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who participated in the meeting with AMLO, will be heavily involved, according to the officials.

Washington has ramped up efforts to expand semiconductor production after supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and rising tensions with China highlighted the global vulnerability to dependence on production in Asia, particularly Taiwan. That drive includes more than $50 billion in incentives from the CHIPS Act to build new facilities in the US, as well as a related push to stifle Chinas ambitions to develop its own advanced chips industry. 

Raimondo, whose department is leading the implementation of chips spending, said on a visit to Mexico City in September that Mexico can benefit both from the manufacturing facilities for semiconductors and also from testing, packaging and assembly of chips. The CHIPS Act, which the US Congress passed last year, will create jobs and opportunities for the US and its southern neighbor, she said.

Biden and López Obrador will meet Tuesday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the North American Leaders Summit. The countries will announce that their efforts to coordinate investment in semiconductor manufacturing will include establishing a forum with industry representatives to support the growth of the semiconductor sector, according to a White House memo.

The nations are also committing to reduce methane emissions by at least 15% by 2030, specifically from the waste sector.

A senior Mexican Foreign Ministry official said last week that López Obrador would ask Biden in Mexico City for support attracting semiconductor investment. 

López Obradors administration wants the US to jointly approach companies that are looking to relocate to North America with the suggestion that a new factory built in a state like Arizona could by supplied with some parts and processes developed in Mexico, the person said.

Mexico also wants US help to secure funding from development banks for an ambitious plan to build several state-owned solar parks in the border state of Sonora, said the official, who asked not to be identified while discussing plans that arent public. López Obrador will also look to discuss selling Mexican clean energy north of the border, especially in California, the person said.

With assistance from Josh Wingrove, Max de Haldevang and Eric Martin.

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The fundamental answer to these perpetual problems lies in visual collaboration. The digital solutions connected with visual collaboration provide flexibility and cloud-based environments that allow teams to brainstorm, collaborate, and problem-solve both in real time and asynchronously, regardless of location, experience, or personality. By 2024, visual collaboration applications will become the center of 30% of meeting experiences, according to Gartner.

What is visual collaboration?

Visual collaboration is the practice of simplifying and streamlining organizational teamwork digitally through scalable canvasesthereby promoting inclusivity, innovation, agility, and creativity in every single workflow. This kind of collaboration is vital for todays hybrid, distributed, and remote teams, making it possible for anyone to work together asynchronously or in real-time.

Visual collaboration may include mapping processes, diagramming systems, virtual whiteboarding, brainstorming, creating organizational charts, and tracking ongoing projects like timelines and roadmaps. By using visuals, team members can more easily communicate complex ideas while also staying aware of what their colleagues are doing.

With visual collaboration, workers may focus on ideating, evaluating data and insights, understanding the current state of the business, planning action items, assigning responsibilities, building out project plans, and creating deliverables. When each step is recorded in a shared space, team members naturally create a living blueprint of how the business works. Teams can then use this single source of truth to stay aligned, guide decisions, and innovate continuously. Everyone is, quite literally, on the same page.

Enabling a mix of synchronous and asynchronous collaboration

While meetings are important to collaboration today, they represent only a fraction of a projects life cycle. Visual collaboration software can improve engagement and productivity through all stages of a projectnot only in meetings.

For example, intelligent diagramminga key component of visual collaborationcan promote alignment on team structure, workflows, resources, and project goals. Theres less confusion when teams can easily see who theyre working with and how different tasks have progressed. When important information is documented in a central space, its easy to onboard new employees or align with key stakeholders.

With the right visual collaboration solutions, new data or unexpected information shouldnt derail a projects progress. A visual collaboration solution that can automatically pull data into your diagrams, and then update those diagrams to indicate the latest state of affairs, can create a dynamic project that minimizes friction and misalignment.

Visual collaboration solutions can also help employees provide valuable input on projects. For example, team leaders can use virtual whiteboards to document team members ideas and plans, prioritize the best ideas to move forward, and make group decisions. When the meeting is over, a virtual whiteboard serves as a record of the discussion and creates avenues for post-meeting feedback.

Empowering a wider range of collaboration styles

One of the greatest advantages of visual collaboration is that it leverages the neurodiversity within your teams, acknowledging that not everyone collaborates in the same way. Research shows that more than half of knowledge workers self-identify with one or more of three distinct collaboration styles. Each style has preferences on how they like to receive information and strengths in which they excel at sharing information.

Visual collaboration solutions provide the tools for every person, regardless of collaboration style, to contribute. Sticky notes, polls, emoji reactions, activities, and surveys are just some of the ways team leaders can further enhance collaboration without the added pressure of contributing on-camera and in real-time.

Conclusion

The ways in which we work together have vastly changed, with an increase in tools to help remote workers connect without working from the same space. With new opportunities for growth and potential hurdles to overcome, its time companies take their collaboration efforts a step further. Prioritizing team alignment, increasing engagement, and tapping into the diverse talent pool within your own organization are all possible through an investment in visual collaboration software.

Dave Grow is CEO of Lucid Software. Lucid Software is a partner of Fortunes Brainstorm Tech.

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So predicts Gartner in its workplace predictions for 2023. The research advisory and consulting firm says quiet hiring will open up new doors for retaining talent without the cost of a lengthy recruitment process. Its an especially vital edge for leaders amid the persistent Great Resignation and as the average job tenure slowly shrinks. 

Heres how it works: A company assesses its current workforce, mainly those who have gradually begun taking on responsibilities beyond their job description (which many quiet quitters already vehemently insist against). A thoughtful manager then notices that these workers have effectively started working in the position they wanted before being given the joba sort of independent upskilling. If all goes according to plan, the manager will dole out a requisite raise or promotion, thereby saving the worker a job search, the company a hiring spree, and everyone time.

The strategy is intended to address a companys acute, immediate needs, Emily Rose McRae, leader of Gartners future of work research team, told CNBC. Effective quiet hiring depends on framing. If youre asking a bunch of people to make this move, you should be able to articulate: What does this mean for them? McRae said.

Ideally, the answer is: career advancement. But quiet quitters dont see it that way.

Quiet hiring is the inverse of quiet quitting

Like many viral workplace trends that have become popular in recent years, quiet hiring is a new name for an old tactic. 

Some companies have spent considerable time and resources upskilling employees and giving them new avenues to put them to work, Anthony Nyberg, a scholar at The Academy of Management and program director of the human resources masters program at the University of South Carolina, tells Fortune. Neither of these concepts is new, but moving talent internally to match [their new] talents to the optimal task does seem to be more appreciated. 

Ideally, Nyberg continues, quiet hiring will help organizations and employees increase efficiency and satisfaction. Consider Google, which uses an under-the-radar recruiting strategy to identify the brightest minds both within and outside the company and figure out where to put them. At its core, thats a quiet hiring strategy, Inc.s Kelly Main reported back in September. 

Not surprisingly, Main writes, quiet-hired employees tend to get more raises and promotions, while employers, with minimal risk and potentially zero training cost, can save time and money. 

But the term itself has developed a negative connotation, as if organizations are tricking employees into doing undesirable jobs, Nyberg says.  

Thats because of its association with quiet quitting, a trend that went viral on TikTok in August to eyeroll-inducing prominence, which simply describes the steadfast refusal to do any work strictly beyond the parameters of ones role. 

By definition, workers who quiet quit remove themselves from the possibility of being quiet hired. Proponents of the latter would say that means boxing themselves out of career development or thousands of potential dollars in raises. But opponents say its another corporate tactic designed to take advantage of workers. 

I stopped reading [the Inc. article] when it said [they] promote internal employees who take on extra tasks. Then I knew it was absolute rubbish, a Redditor wrote in a thread on the concept. No one is getting promoted for doing multiple jobs. They will keep you there, as their obedient workhorse, with minimal raises and zero support until something breaks. There is no reward for taking on extra tasksexcept more tasks.

Bosses quiet hire when the economy is tough

Quiet hiringby any namehas always occurred during difficult economic times like recessions and hyper-inflationary periods, Cary Cooper, an organizational psychology professor at The University of Manchester and member of the Academy of Management, tells Fortune. 

Thats certainly the case nowwhen, just days into 2023, 80% of Americans are predicting an awful, tumultuous year after dealing with sky-high inflation in 2022 and incessant talk about a looming recession.

It has been called redistribution of resources, and people were expected to be agile and flexible, Cooper says.Between destabilizing economic and geopolitical upheavals, businesses will be very reluctant to hire more people, instead aiming to keep labor costs at a bare minimum. 

Redditors put it more bluntly. [Companies] are mad about labor productivity declines. Theyre blaming quiet quitting, something they made up, when we already know the reason, a commenter wrote in a thread. So many people took on new roles elsewhere, which reduced labor productivity. If they want labor productivity up, the best strategy is to reduce churn by retaining the employees they have. This means money.

Whether or not quiet hiring is beneficial for the workplace, Cooper predicts it will stick around for at least a year or two.

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