When you imagine the future of work, what do you see?
Many may be influenced by movies and TV shows that depict a dystopian future of the workplace, a world where robots do everything and humans are left on the sidelines, struggling to survive financially without jobs or purpose in life.
For others, it can be closer to work-life purgatory at a job at Lumon Industries, the shell company at the heart of Apple TV. to cutThe workers underwent surgery to insert an electronic chip into their brains to separate home from work.
Lumon employees, known as “innies” in the office, have no recollection of their home lives and spend their days searching for “scary” numbers in the Macrodata Refinement department, where they are sometimes rewarded with waffles and musical dance experiences.
Once they leave for the day, they are “off duty” and have no memory of work (perhaps fortunately after those waffle-and-dance sessions that employees bond over).
Watch: Hungry for risotto? Just ask this robot chef
Hungry for risotto? Just ask this robot chef
But back to the real world. The COVID-19 pandemic has often been credited as a turning point for workplace disruption, as millions of employees turned to working from home during lockdowns and began to understand the importance of achieving a better work-life balance – even though we hope it doesn't happen. Degree as to cut.
While work-life balance may have been the main priority for workers from 2020 to 2023, many have turned their concerns to job security and the role AI will play in the future thanks to the increasing popularity of natural language processing tools like ChatGPT. And Google's Bard (now known as Gemini) and others.
A survey conducted last September by the analytics consulting firm Gallup found that 22 percent of Americans now fear that technology will make their jobs obsolete.
“Fear of becoming obsolete, or FOBO, is still uncommon among American workers, but it has increased more in the past two years than at any time in Gallup’s direction since 2017,” Gallup said at the time.
“22 percent now say they worry that technology will make their jobs obsolete, up seven percentage points from the previous reading in 2021.”
In the UAE, 72% of employees believe that artificial intelligence will significantly impact their work in the next five years, as research conducted by the professional network LinkedIn revealed last September.
Meanwhile, in a study published in December on the future of work, Virgin Media O2 Business found that 52% of UK workers under 50 are unsure what job they will be doing in 20 years based on how fast their industry is moving. It changes.
However, UK-based futurist Tracy Falls, who worked with Virgin Media Business O2 on her study, believes widespread job displacement should not be feared, as emerging technology is poised to create new sectors and roles.
Ms Folse says this includes new policies and initiatives in the safety sector that take into account changing workplaces, such as automation in factories.
“I think when any new technologies emerge — we saw that with the automobile when it replaced horses — over time, you develop a lot of new regulations, policies and initiatives around health and safety,” Ms Follows said during the conference. the NationalPocketful of Dirhams podcast about the future of work.
“With all the robotics and automation coming into factories, services and products… I think there will be a whole new sector around safety training, which takes place in virtual reality and in highly immersive simulated environments.”
Here we look at four trends that will shape the world of work in the 2040s and beyond.
1. End of monthly salary transfer
It wasn't that long ago that salaries were paid weekly in cash — though that's now a memory for older Gen
These days, of course, the majority of workers around the world receive their salaries through electronic transfers, either once every two weeks or (more likely) once a month, as the world moves towards a cashless society.
Fast forward to 2040, and the monthly salary transfer may no longer exist thanks to widespread adoption of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, says Ms Follows at Virgin Media O2 Business The future of work Stady.
“Employees will be able to choose how they are paid, driven by their policies and ethics, their purposeful living plan, their social and environmental values and their desires around work-life balance,” she says.
“The widespread adoption of cryptocurrencies and blockchain payroll will enable less centralized payment methods allowing for faster and more secure payments. This will enable payments to be made on a daily or even hourly basis.
Ms. Volz says workers could also receive bonuses in real time rather than waiting an entire year, as they do today.
She adds that while instant payment exists on some platforms today, it will become more widespread in about 20 years.
“Why don't you get a bonus right then, some kind of commission for doing your job well?” Says.
“This may be how we see some productivity coming back into the economy and into the idea of work, where people can actually be more productive when they are paid right now.”
2. Employees will have their own AI coaches
Within 10 years, the majority of employees will have an AI-powered coach, says Ms. Folse. She adds that by 2040, more than half of workers in developed regions will use AI agents in some capacity.
She says in the report that AI coaches will keep employees “on the path to goal” as they integrate the technology into the learning and goals they want to achieve.
“In this way, A.I [coach] We will continually monitor and evaluate their performance against their purpose in life and work and suggest any blind spots or areas that may need attention.
“[This will] Help improve any weaknesses in their skill sets and build on their inherent talents and traits, so they can achieve their goal in a way tailored to them.
artificial intelligence [coach] We will continuously monitor and evaluate their performance against their purpose in life and work and suggest any blind spots or areas that may need attention.
Follows Tracy, the futurist
3. Emerging sectors in the 2040s
As previously mentioned, safety will emerge as a key sector in the future, as many of the current warehousing and logistics roles that exist today will be replaced by artificial intelligence, says Ms. Folse.
Before you start worrying about your job, Ms Follows adds that many employees currently working in these roles are expected to move into safety maintenance roles.
Meanwhile, 5-10% of jobs in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, retail and transportation will likely move into occupational safety, safety, mental health and organizational training roles.
“Much of this will be carried out in immersive virtual reality and augmented reality training environments – purpose-built 3D spaces where digital technologies change the environment and create any simulated environment possible,” she says.
“This could be a nightclub, a factory warehouse, a medical center, or a hotel kitchen.”
4. New jobs of the future
The world of work is constantly evolving as technology continues to disrupt many sectors, say the report's authors 100 jobs for the future A report published by Deakin University in Australia.
However, some jobs won't change much in the future, especially for employees who work in skilled manual roles that machines won't be able to replicate or jobs that make economic sense to continue as they are, the report's authors say.
“Some of the 100 jobs of the future are variations of those that already exist, perhaps with more technology enablement that provides immediate results where current processes are long-term, or more customization that modifies the role to become prevalent in a different form,” they add. .
UAE jobs in Metaverse – with pictures
However, future job roles include a nostalgic futurist – a person who recreates experiences that older people remember – and a 100-year-old consultant, who helps “centenarians enjoy a third life” with medical advances extending people’s lives, a Deakin University study has found. . .
Then there's the health designer (tech-savvy health advisors or nutritionists), the biomimicry innovator (apparently someone who will “seek sustainable solutions to human challenges by mimicking nature's engineering processes”) and the programmer of the cool-looking kid's assistant robot, which will be the mission She is designing human-like robots, known as Kidobots, that will help children play safely.
Perhaps becoming a robot ethicist would be more in line with your interests, or if you're interested in protecting the environment and helping solve crimes, you could aim to become an intelligent dust fighter.
Unsurprisingly, the space sector appears on the list, including its role as an off-world habitat designer, also known as someone who can design habitable buildings for colonies on other planets.
However, it's worth noting that the report's authors say the aim of their research is to “interrogate this future of work…that goes beyond generalities of trends and skills and offers a grounded yet complex and imaginative projection of future work.”
Updated: February 15, 2024 at 5:00 AM
