What Will the Future of Work Look Like?

In a recent article for Morrisby, Helen Janota explored the future of work looking at what jobs and careers will be in demand over the next decade and beyond. Advances in technology such as automation, digitisation and artificial intelligence (AI) are creating new and emerging jobs and careers. The numbers of people working in areas such as virtual reality, drone technology, machine learning and autonomous vehicles may not be that large at present, but we can expect to see technologies like these alter the jobs landscape over the next 10-20 years. The world of work is changing and there are a number of influences which are shaping change.

An ageing population

In the UK, the 65 years and over age group is growing faster than any other. Those who live longer, healthier lives create demand for financial services, hospitality, leisure and wellbeing activities. But there is also a growing need for adult health and social care services, alongside life sciences research, to support people in their later years. In addition to this, some sectors have an ageing workforce and are keen to attract young people to replace those who retire, especially in sectors such as construction, agriculture, manufacturing and transport. Here are just some of the jobs and careers which we can expect to continue to be in demand because they support the needs of an ageing population:

• Pharmacologist

• Biotechnologist

• GP

• Radiographer

• Care worker

• Nurse

• Data scientist

• Chef

• Fitness instructor

• Nutritionist

• Pharmacist

Climate change

An increasingly urgent need to tackle climate change – at a local, national and global level - is leading to a diverse range of jobs and careers emerging. Targets for reaching net zero in the UK by 2050 will require skilled people to work in areas such as battery technologies, renewable energy, carbon capture, electric vehicles and retrofitting buildings.

Jobs and careers related to tackling climate change that we can expect to see grow in demand:

• Electrician

• Engineering technician

• Environmental scientist

• Agronomist

• Analytical chemist

• Flood risk engineer

• Sustainability consultant

• Drone operator

• Geographic information systems (GIS) analyst

• Electric vehicle chargepoint installer

• Building surveyor

• Mathematical modeller

• Conservationist

Advances in technology

Advances in technology are without doubt the biggest influence on the types of jobs and careers that will be available to us in the future. And they also affect the ways in which we work too – apps, digital platforms and disruptive technologies can influence how we consume goods and services, how businesses operate and how we conduct our day-to-day jobs.

The more tasks a job has which can be automated, the more likely it will change or disappear altogether. This can happen in jobs at all levels but in some jobs - in areas such as accountancy, journalism and law for example - the tasks which have the potential to be automated are only a part of the work and people are most likely to just need to adapt. However, jobs such as clerical officer, call centre adviser or manufacturing operative are at higher risk of being fully automated and the job disappearing.

Technology jobs and careers we can expect to see grow in demand:

• Cyber security professional

• Data analyst

• FinTech consultant

• Robotics engineer

• UX/UI designer

• Software developer

• Ecommerce merchandiser

• Esports referee

• Virtual reality developer

• AgriTech engineer

Jobs and careers at risk of decline include:

• Banking clerk

• Admin assistant

• Call centre adviser

• Travel agent

• Manufacturing operative

• Checkout operator

• Sales assistant

• And further into the future: taxi driver and waiting staff

Career pathways into jobs of the future

Over the last decade we’ve seen shifts within education and training which aim to address future skills needs in the UK. This has opened up and improved the quality of routes into a wide range of careers which employers expect to be recruiting for over the coming years.

Graduates remain in high demand, but apprenticeships are now available all the way from level 2 (equivalent to GCSE or National 5) to level 7 (equivalent to a postgraduate degree). The apprenticeships pathway enables people who prefer the option of earning while they are training - rather than taking the higher education route - to enter in-demand jobs for the future.

Young people in England have even more options open to them from the age of 16 in the shape of T levels which are now on offer at some schools and colleges. Equivalent to three A levels, these new qualifications give students the opportunity to gain technical skills in sectors where skills are in high demand such as construction and the built environment, science, healthcare and business management.

A more flexible way of learning digital skills, including coding, and other work and life skills could be to seek out free, short courses on learning platforms such as Open Learn, FutureLearn and Google Digital Garage.

Many of these courses are available on the Skills Toolkit: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/find-a-course/the-skills-toolkit

Preparing for the future

Today’s job market is a pretty turbulent one. We can make predictions about what it might look like in 10 or 20 years’ time but no-one can guarantee that the career pathway will always be a smooth one. Developing the resilience to cope with setbacks and adapt well to change will be important skills for the future, and there are other ways in which we can prepare for change too.

Having a positive or growth mindset help us to make constructive adjustments as we go through our working lives and it’s a strength that employers highly prize. A growth mindset means we are open to expanding our knowledge and expertise, that we want to continue to learn new skills where the opportunities arise and are prepared to step outside our comfort zone.

Keeping pace with change can also mean being curious, a characteristic that goes hand in hand with a growth mindset and which can be a real advantage in the 21st Century workplace. With some employers moving to strength-based interviews, being able to reflect on personal qualities like these is a useful thing to be able to do.

So rather than thinking of the future labour market as a place we’ll reach eventually, we should consider it to be constantly evolving. And if we can evolve with it, then we’ll be able to successfully steer our way through the career or careers that we might find ourselves in during our working lifetime.

Adapted from the Article “What will the Future of Work look like” by Helen Janota.

The full article is available using the following link: https://www.morrisby.com/blog/what-will-the-future-of-work-look-like