Global demand for project managers on the rise

Project Management Institute’s (PMI) latest report Project Management Job Growth and Talent Gap 2017-2027 found that through 2027, the project management labor force is expected to grow by 33%.

It also predicts that nearly 22 million new jobs will be created during the next decade — and by 2027, employers around the world will need nearly 88 million individuals working in project management-oriented roles.

The global economy has become more project-oriented, as the practice of project management expands within industries that were traditionally less project-oriented, such as health care, publishing and professional services.

The report predicts in the next decade, the most job growth across all the 11 countries analysed in the study is expected to occur in manufacturing and construction with more than 9.7 million new roles.

Information services and publishing will account for the second-largest increase with nearly 5.5 million new roles; finance and insurance will create more than 4.6 million roles, and management and professional services will see the addition of more than 1.7 million new positions.

“As the business environment today is becoming increasingly complex and fast-changing, it brought higher requirement to project managers. Project managers today should not only had a firm grasp of basic project management knowledge, but also possess strong leadership, including skills in conflicts resolution, negotiation, stakeholder management as well as capabilities on strategic and business management,” said PMI’s China CEO Bob Chen.

Commenting on the impact of technologies on project management, Chen believes The Internet of Things and big data will increase the accuracy and timeliness of information collection, thus giving clear picture of a project’s status for project managers to take responsive action.

“Artificial intelligence might eliminate some work contents from the project manager completely, like filing and contract management, but the part that needs soft skills will always need a real project manager to conduct, and it’s a big part in project management, because project manager is all about liaising among stakeholders (people) to get the team deliver the project,” said Chen.

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