At a hotel in San Francisco a robot delivers room service, in Singapore a driverless taxi picks up a passenger and at Dusseldorf airport a machine parks your car for you.
The robots have arrived. In some cases, replacing humans, changing the way we do business and live our lives. The one thing they aren’t doing is destroying the human workforce, but they are transforming it.
In fact, several studies suggest that while technology and robots do indeed wipe out whole sectors of the workforce they also create new ones.
One UK study from 2011 found that the addition of one million industrial robots created nearly three million jobs* and of the countries examined in the study, five saw their unemployment rates go down as the number of robots went up.
Of course there will always be job losses during periods of industrial adjustment. Automation of any kind will impact jobs and tasks. We don’t have to look too far back historically to see examples; software, computers, mobile phones and robotics have eliminated many roles including receptionist, telephone operators, street cleaners, video store owner, cashiers and bus conductors to name a few.
However, a large number more have been created; App Developer, Social Media Manager, front and back end developers, UX designers, any job title starting with on-line and digital. The growing trend for new and in-demand jobs is resoundingly in tech itself.
Technology Analyst and Vice President of Forrester Research, J.P Gownder predicts that new automation will cause a net loss of only 9.1 million U.S. jobs by 2025, well under the 70 million jobs that famed Oxford professors Frey and Osbourne predicted in 2013**.
One way robots and increased technology will change our workforce is by creating a huge demand for robot and systems maintenance. Machines break down, need updates and require new parts. Computers are glitchy and need to communicate with each other. As we rely more and more on machines we’ll need more and more people to update and maintain them.
This is where we see the rise in job titles such as field service technician, systems analyst and network administrator. In fact, whole IT departments have been created thanks to the rise in automation, tech and yes robots.
But who is benefitting from this new jobs bonanza? Truck drivers being replaced by driverless trucks aren’t simply switching up to Transport Planner and Switchboard Operators aren’t immediately filling roles as Telecommunications Managers. So how can you ride the wave of increased tech-job prosperity?
“The automation of the workforce is nothing new and it affects both entry level or lower tier workers, as well as medium to senior management and professionals,” said Ivan Maloney, National Account Director at Ignite.
“There will always need to be a person as a conduit among all the technology and all the human applications,” he added.
To future proof a career and make the most of this shifting technology-landscape Ivan suggests three main tactics:
1. Focus on your passion
Always keep your passion at the forefront of your working goals to keep razor sharp focus and drive. And also create a critical road-map to achieving your personal idea of success.
2. Examine key trends in the market
Keep a close eye on the market or markets where you’d like to add value. Research current trends and acquire a deep understanding of your market and predictions for it. From online research to attending meet ups and workshops, stay informed and connected.
3. Align your work and education plus keep learning and evolving
Integrate on-going education, up-skilling or re-skilling into your work-life schedule. Side projects, online courses and workshops can ensure future career relevance and usefulness. Technology has disrupted education and plethora of part time or modular online courses offered mean incremental learning is accessible and inexpensive and invaluable to future-proofing your career.
Ignite is the unification of Clarius, Alliance, Candle, JavIT, Lloyd Morgan, SouthTech & The One Umbrella reimagining talent services and igniting greater potential. Go to Ignite and discover your potential.
** “www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk”
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