Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist of Glassdoor, revealed the 5 job trends that job hunters should watch out for in 2017. The prediction comes with the Glassdoor Economic Research Report that also sheds some light into the job trends that defined the closing year.

Trend #1: The Transformation of HR Into People Science

In recent years, the use of data science has been adopted by most companies in almost every aspect of business in order to provide excellent solutions to various problems and obstacles. One department that Dr. Chamberlain sees is a little behind on this trend is the HR Department, and he expects that that is about to change in the coming year. In his report, he predicts that in 2017 and beyond, the HR and recruiting departments will follow suit in taking advantage of data science to transform the traditional HR to "people science."

Trend #2: Automation Will Change Every Job

With the rapid growth of technology and innovation, in 2016 alone we witnessed the automation of certain jobs and job requirements. Dr. Chamberlain believes that while large scale job loss due to automation is highly unlikely, it will definitely change the way almost every job is done. He finds that jobs that require less creative input and flexibility are more susceptible to job automation and warns that people in the transportation sector should brace for major changes. However, he also states that white collar jobs are not immune to these changes, and that the key to moving forward is by "re-skilling" and on-going skill building.

Trend #3: Shifting Away From Flashy Benefit Packages

Yoga classes, free meals and more vacation days are just some examples of what is usually included in flashy or exotic benefit packages. Started by the Tech Industry to attract more tech talent, Dr. Chamberlain expects that the same companies will soon mature and go back to more traditional packages. This "new" trend's goal is to keep talents on board for the long haul, especially since their research shows that traditional benefits, such as a decent health insurance, more strongly correlates to employee satisfaction compared to less traditional benefits.

Trend #4: Taking Action Against The Gender Pay Gap

The growing pay transparency allows employees to recognize the gap more easily, and the data availability helps employers identify the pay gaps themselves and correct it even before it shows up in the data. Dr. Chamberlain expects that these two recent trends will be converging to start this trend next year and make a lasting progress on this issue. What's more, he stated that companies are starting to realize that tackling the issue on gender pay gap isn't about legal liabilities or negative publicity, but for a more positive employer brand.

Trend #5: Realizing The Limits of The 'Gig' Economy

Temporary jobs, freelance work and contractual jobs are a part of the "gig" economy. This sort of arrangement has seen its rise in recent years due to the ease of its nature, though it still has its pros and cons. While having freelance workers makes it easy for employers to pull in employees from the work force when it is needed, similar to the issues surrounding automation, such jobs are usually relatively simple jobs that do not particularly lead to long term employment. Dr. Chamberlain's research foresees the job force to move away from this past trend and towards the more traditional jobs that require more human creativity, flexibility, judgment and personal interaction. That's not to say that the gig economy is coming to an end because it remains an important, albeit small, part of the U.S. economy.