Firms see enormous potential in the metaverse. Whilst initial investments are primarily focus on gaming, the pandemic has made clear the technology’s ability to transform the workplace. 

Banking firm Jeffries predicts that the Metaverse will “cause the biggest disruption to human life ever seen.” 

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Stephen Jones, recently shared his experience about attending a Metaverse related job fair, where more than 30 companies and 200 attendees joined the festivities.

Jones' Experience from the Metaverse Event:

The first half of the fair featured live presentations in the auditorium. Guests appeared as avatars on stage as part of panel or Q&A sessions. 

Attendees were muted while they were in the auditorium but you could ask a question by standing in a line at the side of the stage. And you could clap by holding the number one on the keyboard.

Usually, this would be a great time to network with the people around you but it was impossible in the auditorium so I didn't really feel like I was gaining anything by replicating the experience of standing in a room. 

It was the first time I'd ever experienced anything quite like this. If it became the norm of recruitment  — as some, including Hirect, say it could be — I imagine it would quickly become a bit tiring and boring.

Will the Experience get Better?

Martin Migoya, CEO of consultancy Globant, agrees that the “plumbing” behind the metaverse is still at an early stage, and told CNBC that virtual worlds can be positive for hiring: 

“When you’re interviewing [people] on a screen, you don’t know a lot of things about them. But when you have the possibility to express many new things like you can express with your avatar in the metaverse, I think there will be a lot of opportunities to really understand people much better than before.”

Who is Hiring in the Metaverse?

According to a GloablData Oct 2021 report:

The likes of Facebook, Microsoft Corp, NVIDIA Corp and Robolox Corporation have opening for positions in the Metaverse.

Ajay Thalluri, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Noticeable increase in active jobs since June 2021 indicates growing need for talent but job closures remain relatively low. Companies listing jobs seems to be facing a talent crunch for the trending high-skilled jobs. In September 2021, there were 250 active jobs around metaverse but only 48 job closures.”

Mr. Thalluri continues: “However, Facebook’s announcement to create 10,000 jobs during the next five years in metaverse space in the European Union (EU) could face hurdles in sourcing talent going by the trend.”

Gaming company Robolox Corporation is among the top companies that is hiring in the metaverse space.

Mr. Thalluri concludes: “Hiring in metaverse is likely to grow. However, finding skilled talent to meet the growing demand can be challenging.”

What Positions are needed in the Metaverse?

Adrien Books, recently highlighted 10 Metaverse Positions that will become prevalent, of which are listed below.

  1. Metaverse Research Scientist
  2. Metaverse Planner
  3. Ecosystem Developer
  4. Metaverse Safety Manager
  5. Metaverse Hardware Builder
Meanwhile, Meta has budgeted to spend $10 billion last year alone building components foundational to the metaverse, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and AI.

How will this Play out in the Future?

Metaverse, as a technology is still maturing. It's much more than Augmented/Mixed/Virtual Reality, NFT, Cryptocurrency..etc. In fact for those who live in the world of Minecraft or Roblox, Fortnite, PokemonGO, it's simply an evolution of these universes. 

Both technology and consumer behavior are influencing each other. The businesses who want to sustain and grow, they need to go where the consumers are. This is what we believe McDonald's has done so well. 

We believe that the two areas businesses will need to evolve is the Hiring and Training. Hyundai, Siemens, BMW, Chevron, Tyson, and Adidas have contracted with startups like Zepeto to build VR training worlds. PricewaterhouseCoopers survey predicts that nearly 23.5 million jobs will use AR and VR by 2030 for training, work meetings, or customer service.