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What’s The Future of Jobs?

For our parents, once you found a job you worked hard and hopefully moved up the ladder, then, once you had put in enough years, you’d retire. Today, the average worker spends just 4.4 years at a job, and that number is only expected to decrease. Machine automation is replacing human beings in new fields every year, and networking tools like video communication and the cloud are eliminating the need for a traditional office space.

There are so many changes happening to jobs at this moment, it’s hard to imagine what the future has in store. So, to get an idea of what jobs might look like 10-15 years from now, we asked a group of industry experts…

What’s The Future Of Jobs?

Here’s what they had to say…

Sarah Boisvert, Founder of Fab Lab Hub & FabWorkforce Programs


“Manufacturing, operator and technician jobs will be far more independent, expecting workers to think critically, problem solve and drive continuous improvement, rather than just being a cog in a machine doing repetitive, mindless tasks. Training programs and educational institutions will have incorporated hands-on learning in fab labs and makerspaces, creating the kind of engaged worker needed to interface with new technological advances such as CAD design, 3D Printing, laser and CNC machining, robotics and sensors.”

 

Frank Zaccanelli, CEO of Fiamma Partners


“In the long run, technology is going to change the landscape of the job market. Corporations will have to create educational programs and employees will need to be re-trained, so they can properly integrate technology into their work processes and stay relevant in the evolving job market.

This transformation won’t take place as quickly in the next 5 years, but it will define the future of jobs. Over time, I specifically envision some erosion in the manufacturing sectors and that will have to be made up in additional job growth, plant expansion and the re-training of workers, so they can thrive in the new economy. Through university programs and companies’ initiatives, we need to ensure we’re training our workforce to meet the needs of the 21st century.”

 

Matt Edstrom, Head of Marketing at BioClarity


“As time goes on, the future of jobs as we know it is quickly dissipating. As more and more companies begin to transition their companies to an online business model, I believed the majority of jobs in all industries will be done sitting behind a computer.

For example, a noticeable amount of physical storefronts will begin to close, not only because of the larger amounts of profit that can be made online, but also because consumers are shopping online more now than ever.

This online based job force we are headed towards, will also open opportunities for a better maintained work life balance, resulting in a potential lift in overall productivity from your employees. Given that you can essentially work from anywhere with access to the internet, this sense of freedom will allow for a more approachable work environment, which in return can have strong health and wellness benefits for the employees and strong performance benefits for the company.”

 

Nancy A. Shenker , Founder & CEO of The On Switch


“In 5-10 years most jobs will either assisted by or replaced with artificial intelligence (AI). It will start slowly, but like the Internet and social media waves will soon become a tsunami. Jobs involving routine tasks and data analysis will be the first to be transformed.”

 

Alex Reichmann, CEO of iTestCash


“I think we are going to see significant numbers of job losses in the coming years as technology moves more forward with automation.

As this happens there is likely going to be a lot of jobs relating to supervising this technology. For example, if you have a McDonalds that can serve customers all day automatically, you will still need someone that can oversee its operations and fix parts of it as needed. This would also be the same thing for factories. Amazon robots may be able to put together thousands of packages an hour but you still need professionals to oversee and make sure that their operations are running smoothly.”

 

Kristy Sevy, Founder & CEO of FuzePlay


“The future of jobs is in STEM fields. Here are some facts:

  1. The top jobs and innovations of today require STEM expertise.
  2. The US ranks lower than 28 other countries for STEM.
  3. Women only comprise 24% of all STEM fields combined.

These numbers are changing, and there is a large community of people who are working to provide stronger STEM education so that kids will be prepared to innovate and make our world a better place.”

 

Eric Anthony, Founder of StreamingObserver.com


“More and more employees are looking for remote opportunities. Amazon just announced that they’re hiring 5,000 remote workers this year, and everyone’s excited. As time goes on, companies will start offering more work-from-home employment options. Working from home is great for work-life balance, and, for certain employees, is a much better environment for productivity, especially compared to an open floor plan office or shared office space.”

 

Matt MacPherson , Founder of Edabit, Inc


“A 15 year timeline is pretty easy to predict. At a minimum, jobs relating to transportation and finance will see high levels of disruption. This will put demand on education in fields perceived to be less vulnerable to automation. Think nurses, teachers and programmers. Anything that involves high levels of unpredictability.

Completely new education models will also result from this disruption. We’ll finally begin seeing cheap online colleges and short retraining bootcamps. Degrees will become less important as employers put more emphasis on demonstrable knowledge and ability.

Economics as we know them simply don’t work in an automated, post-scarcity world. It’s either things become bad now and hopefully spur change, or things become much worse later, when automation really starts kicking in. In other words, ripping off the band-aid of a dying system is better than leaving the problem fester.”

 

Donald L. Rheem, Founder & CEO of E3 Solutions


“The nature of work is shifting much faster than business owners realize. The future of jobs will be noted by three key characteristics: talent scarcity, sticky cultures, and employee engagement. A combination of generational shifts and a declining rate of labor growth predict a scarcity of talent in the coming decade. Who will attract the best talent to support growth and increasing job complexity?

Leaders that focus on workplace culture and engaging teams with mission, vision and values will have the highest retention and engagement levels over time because the newest generation of employees seeks passion and purpose over perks, and a relational culture where even factories can feel like family. Those companies who support compelling cultures will have staff who look forward to coming to work and are fully engaged when they get there.”

 

Bob Shoyhet , CFO at Melillo Consulting, Inc.


“Technology will continue to be a major disruptor to the way we do our jobs. Similarly to the way computers began to impact our lives in the ’80s and ’90s, smart-driving cars will do the same in the 20s, which will significantly eliminate the motor vehicle work force like taxi and truck drivers.

We already see self checkout counters in retail stores, and continuation of retail automation will drive self efficiency and remove the need for cashiers. Small businesses will afford to operate and compete on equal footing with enterprise companies by replacing support functions with artificial intelligence, thus enabling customers to ask and receive answers to their questions without human interaction.

Having said that, jobs that depend on interpersonal communication will be least affected by changes in technology. Educators, doctors, police and social services will continue to defy technological megashifts, even if their jobs are made easier by them”

 

About the author

Nick Hastreiter

I write about the future of business. I approach this by interviewing founders, CEO's, and other game changers to share their vision for the future of their industry.

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