Some jobs will disappear and others will emerge as the world faces a dual disruption.
Today we aim to shed light on the effect of pandemic-related disruptions placed in the broader context of longer-term technology trends. Here are the things you need to know, that will provide a clear picture of the jobs of tomorrow :
The workforce is automating faster than expected, displacing 85 million jobs in the next five years. Automation, in tandem with the COVID-19 recession, is creating a “double-disruption” scenario for workers. Companies’ adoption of technology will transform tasks, jobs, and skills in the coming years. Some businesses indicate that they are set to reduce their workforce because of technology integration and some plan to expand their use of contractors for task-specialized work, and some plan to expand their workforce as a result of technology integration. In the coming years, employers will divide work between humans and machines roughly equally.
The robot revolution will create millions of new jobs. As the global economy and job markets evolve, new roles will emerge across the care economy in technology fields (such as artificial intelligence—AI) and content creation careers (such as social media management and content writing). The emerging professions reflect the greater demand for green economy jobs; roles at the forefront of the data and AI economy; and new roles in engineering, cloud computing, and product development. The up-and-coming jobs highlight the continuing importance of human interaction in the new economy through roles in the care economy; in marketing, sales, and content production; and in roles that depend on the ability to work with different types of people from different backgrounds.
Analytical thinking, creativity, and flexibility will be among the most sought-after skills. Employers see critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving as growing in importance in the coming years. Newly emerging this year are skills in self-management, such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility. Specialized skills are needed for the jobs of tomorrow.
The most competitive businesses will focus on upgrading their workers’ skills. For workers set to remain in their roles over the ten five years, nearly half will need retraining for their core skills. The public sector needs to provide stronger support for reskilling and upskilling of at-risk or displaced workers. The public sector must provide incentives for investment in the markets and jobs of tomorrow, offer stronger safety nets for displaced workers during job transitions, and tackle long-delayed improvements of education and training systems.
Remote work is here to stay. Employers are set to rapidly digitalize work processes, including a significant expansion of remote working. There is the potential to move some of their workforces to operate remotely. This means that business leaders should expect some negative impact on worker productivity, and businesses have to take steps to help their employees adapt.
In the absence of proactive efforts, inequality is likely to be exacerbated by the dual impact of technology and the pandemic recession. This is because many have lost their jobs already. The future of work has already arrived for a large majority of the online white-collar workforce.
