Many young people choose to follow their heart when deciding what tertiary education courses to follow. Still not fully conscious of the need to be pragmatic to deal with the financial challenges that future adult life presents, they pursue studies that inspire their enthusiasm. Others are influenced by their family culture and follow traditional careers in law, medicine, engineering or public service.
So which attitude is best when planning a career?
Students, their parents and career councillors will do well to understand how the jobs market is changing. Many jobs that attracted young people in the past are slowly but surely disappearing thanks to development in technology, changing trade trends and demand for new services.
Two recent studies by job market experts indicate what jobs are at risk of being marginalised shortly. Kai-Fu Lee is the Chinese author of AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order. He recently commented that as a result of more intensive use of artificial intelligence, half of current jobs will be taken over by AI within 15 years.
“The world is facing a crisis akin tothat faced by farmers during the industrial revolution. People are not fully aware of the effect AI will have on their jobs” he argues.
Lee lists the 10 most endangered jobs according to his predictions. The list is topped by jobs in telemarketing and sales, customer support, warehouse working, as well as clerical and operational jobs. Lee warns that it is imperative to warn people there is displacement coming and to tell them how to start retraining.
It is to be expected that new jobs will be created. AI is a powerful enabler, but it cannot cater to the demand of services in today’s evolving societies. Some analysts agree that the most promising areas for job growth are in sales and marketing research, insurance adjustment, security guards, medical care and truck drivers.
The key to jobs in the future willbe empathy
Kiplinger is a Washington DC-based business forecasting website. They recently analysed over 700 popular occupations and identified the best and worst jobs for the future. Kiplinger comes up with a list of jobs somewhat different from that of Lee.
Stacy Rapacon, an executive of Kiplinger, believes that computer application development will be the area that will create most job opportunities in the near future. This is followed by nursing, and other healthcare jobs as an ageing population in advanced economies will require additional and intensive medical services. More health services managers will be required to oversee the functions of a medical practice or facility.
The fourth growth area will be that of financial management as all businesses will need to manage their cash flow. Market research analysis will be another skill in demand by companies that want to understand and exploit evolving consumer spending trends.
Lee cuts through the hype surrounding artificial intelligence by defining the important areas that are unlikely to be affected by AI. He comments that: “The key to jobs in the future will be empathy. Human to human interaction is safe, providing comfort and satisfaction is safe.”
What impresses me most is Lee’s advice to educators and parents. He warns that education will have to change dramatically to encourage a new way of thinking, making people more individualistic, and more emphatic. “We also need to focus on what children want to do and show particular passion and talent for something; we need to encourage them to go for it,” Lee argues.
Rather disappointing for many parents, Lee comments that: “Parents need to know whatever they thought was right, is probably wrong. You need to let your kids go after what they love and encourage them. Make sure they spend a lot of time understanding why it is important to help people, and why communications skills are important – don’t play on the phone all the time.”
My prediction is that one job that is not at risk is that of a politician. As long as one has the gift of the gab, is able to project a sanctimonious image to get elected but then develop surviving skills to enjoy the legal and not so legal perks of political life for as long as possible, a wannabe politician could invest in a political career.
Not surprisingly, the World Economic Forum is forecasting that over the next four years 133 million new jobs will be created globally as a result of technology and automation. During the same period, 75 million jobs are expected to belost worldwide.
johncassarwhite@yahoo.com