7 Key Trends Shaping Executive Opportunities in 2025

The executive landscape is constantly evolving, and 2025 promises to be no exception. As the business world changes, opportunities for executives are both abundant and increasingly complex. In the following video, we highlight seven key trends that will shape executive opportunities in the year ahead. Let’s dive in!

Prefer Reading Over Watching? No worries—if video is not your thing, we’ve got you covered! You can find all the key points written out below. Grab your coffee, kick back, and read at your own pace.

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Dynamic shifts and transformative forces often characterize the business landscape. This was especially true in 2024 as political events, volatile markets, international conflicts, and fluctuating commodity prices roiled the world. 

Yet, the executive market demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout, yielding a continuous flow and high volume of executive opportunity in the form of job changes and newly created positions. As we move into 2025, these trends are accelerating, presenting both challenges and unique opportunities for executives across diverse sectors.

So what are they?

The Barrett Group has identified seven key trends that impacted executive opportunities in 2024.  Whether or not you’re planning a career change, if you’re an executive, these are trends you should continue to keep in mind in 2025.

1. Continued Recovery from the Pandemic

The world’s recovery from the pandemic has long legs and continues to reshape consumer behavior. It is driving growth in some sectors, while others still face structural challenges. 

E-commerce, for example, continues to take share from the bricks and mortar segment, with intuitive AI programs expected to accelerate the trend.

The Leisure & Travel sectors, heavily affected by the pandemic, are now experiencing strong growth with a rise in tourism and a focus on sustainability, although staffing shortages are of still a concern.

2. Normalization of Supply Chains

Remember the toilet paper shortage at the beginning of the pandemic? Fortunately, that didn’t last long, but it’s taken a while to untangle many other problems in the supply chain. The gradual normalization of the supply chain has eased logistical hurdles, but it is also prompting some industries to restructure. Notably, a tendency toward protecting home markets is fostering more on- and near-shoring.

3. Shifting Corporate Financial Strategies

A shift towards interest income over deal-making impacted the financial strategies of many businesses over the past two years and required new executive skills. But the pendulum is rapidly swinging back. In 2025, we are likely to see the executive skills in demand evolve yet again.

Financial Services firms, for example, now face challenges from declining interest rates, although diversified firms have proven to be more resilient. 

Meanwhile, the Construction and Real Estate sectors are experiencing growth as mortgages become more affordable with residential real estate leading the way even as the commercial sector wrestles with the impact of virtual work. 

4. Government Initiatives

Government initiatives focused on infrastructure and onshoring are creating new avenues for growth, particularly in energy-related projects and manufacturing.

In fact, the Manufacturing industry is expanding in most regions of the world (Germany being a notable exception). 

5. A Focus on Renewable Energy

The focus on renewable energy is spurring innovation and investment, necessitating a new kind of leadership within the energy sector.

Still, despite a global agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, petroleum still represents a large portion of energy consumption and, while investments in clean energy are growing, the sector will likely be impacted by political agendas.

6. The Rise of Artificial Intelligence

The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing multiple industries, requiring executives to adapt and integrate AI into their strategic approaches and changing the requirements for executive management radically.

Human Resources is one example. HR is seeing increased demand for AI-powered recruiting and implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (DEI).

Likewise, Marketing and Advertising, is significantly influenced by AI. But this industry will need to navigate a shift towards more ethical applications and a return to authentic messaging.

Then there is Big Tech, which saw some companies like Apple experiencing a drop in sales while others like Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta continue to see considerable stock growth, driven in large part by AI. 

7. Changing Political Winds

A new U.S. presidential administration, along with shifting political alliances in Europe, is expected to bring significant changes to immigration policies and the potential imposition or increase of tariffs. These developments could add layers of complexity to executive decision-making, particularly in global markets. 

Additionally, while support for female executives and other underrepresented groups has been on the rise, progress in DEI initiatives may face obstacles due to ongoing political debates and controversies.

Overall, these trends indicate a dynamic and rapidly evolving business environment, where executives must be adaptable and strategic to navigate these changes effectively and seize new avenues for growth. The political landscape, particularly the potential changes expected from the second Trump Presidency, a move to the political right in Europe, as well as a significant realignment in the Middle East, will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping these developments. 

We hope you find these key insights helpful. If you’d like more detail about these and other trends impacting the women and men who make it all work – the world’s executives – check out The Barrett Group’s INDUSTRY UPDATE: Annual Report.