Technology has been changing the employment landscape since the Industrial Revolution, eliminating some jobs and creating others. With the help of recent research, combined with Australian employment data and trends, we can make some educated predictions about the future of work and the roles that will be in demand.
The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) suggests that as a result of advances in technology and automation, as many as 40 per cent of Australian jobs may disappear in the next 10 to 15 years1 – that’s almost five million people potentially replaced by computers. Global professional-services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers puts the figure at roughly 44 per cent over 20 years.2 If history is any indicator, however, new jobs will also emerge. The following four areas are likely to see some serious employment growth.
STEMming from necessity
One approach to keeping up with technology is to embrace it. This is where STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) jobs come in, as professionals look to develop skills in areas that still need a human element. In fact, a recent government report indicates that 75 per cent of the fastest growing occupations across a wide range of businesses will require STEM skills and knowledge.3 Such roles involve combining technology with creativity to solve modern problems – for example, coding, nanoscience, biomedical engineering and robotics.
Transforming Australia through IT and ICT
Though obviously related to STEM, IT (information technology) and ICT (information and communications technology) jobs of the future warrant their own category. But here’s where a lot of uncertainty lies. What new jobs will spring from continued technology development?
According to the CEDA report,4 the major role of IT in Australia is to transform existing companies and existing ways of doing business. CEDA asserts5 that future ICT will impact our country in two major ways:
- By applying ICT to existing industries and businesses.
- By developing new technology companies and products.
Future IT jobs are therefore expected to be in architecting, designing and analysing. Many of these will be within existing non-IT industries, such as banking, health and social services, and engineering, particularly energy and resources. However, IT won’t be the sole responsibility of IT workers – all staff will be expected to have an understanding of technology so they can contribute to creative problem-solving across the business.
Self-employment and flexibility
Of course, technology is not the only factor changing in the workplace. Work culture and individual attitudes are changing, too – nowhere more so, perhaps, than when it comes to self-employment. A 2015 report from CEDA indicates that self-employment is a professional goal for more than half of Australia’s labour force.6 This trend is likely to continue, with an increasing number of workers looking to be solopreneurs and entrepreneurs.
The changing work culture has also opened up opportunities to take on contract work or take advantage of flexible working or job-share arrangements, or the opportunity to work from home.
Precipitating personal services
As these specialised entrepreneurships emerge and other professionals are busy trying to keep pace with technology, there’s likely to be an increased need for support services and personal services. Time-poor individuals will look for help with their personal needs.
According to the Australian Government Department of Employment’s Australian Jobs 20167 report, the following personal services jobs are likely to increase between now and 2020:
- Beauty therapists.
- Fitness instructors.
- Gardeners.
- Hairdressers.
- Housekeepers.
- Massage therapists.
- Personal care consultants.
To succeed in a changing environment, it’s important for workers to cultivate both business savvy and digital literacy. While future job titles might be unknown, it’s clear that technology will have a significant impact on Australia’s workforce.
Sources
ABC TV, Four Corners, ‘Future Proof’, 4 July 2016.
1 Committee for Economic Development of Australia, ‘Australia’s future workforce?’, page 8.
2 PricewaterhouseCoopers, ‘A smart move: Future proofing Australia’s workforce by growing skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)’.
3 Australian Industry Group, ‘Lifting our Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Skills’, page 1.
4 Committee for Economic Development of Australia, ‘Australia’s future workforce?’, page 13.
5 As above.
6 Committee for Economic Development of Australia, ‘Australia’s future workforce?’, page 182.
7 Department of Employment, ‘Australian Jobs 2016’, page 45.
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