I just added a new ad-hoc podcast on the future of work and jobs on my Audioboom channel. This is a hugely important topic that will need some major attention from governments, corporations, SMEs and the entirely educational system.

My key message: automation and robotization will dramatically and exponentially i.e ‘gradually then suddenly‘ alter the work/jobs/education and training landscape – and this time job loss and technological unemployment is real i.e. it is not going to be counter-balanced by sufficient new jobs or a global wave of entirely new employment opportunities, especially for lesser-skilled workers. Having said that, there is a way forward once we accept that the very concept of work and ‘working for a living' is changing.

On my speaking engagements, I often get asked what jobs our kids should consider (and train for). Here is my reply: I believe there are essentially 2 key opportunity-sectors in the near future while pretty much everything else might turn out to be less promising (as it usually can be automated or virtualized by intelligent machines):

1) Jobs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) – in particular data science, artificial intelligence, interface design, cognitive computing, bio-engineering etc. This goes without saying, of course – in a world run by technology, job opportunities in STEM will explode.

2) Jobs in the HECI sectors. This a new term I created for this purpose (as I am prone to do): humanity, ethics, creativity and imagination. In particular, this will be ‘jobs' or rather, workupations as I call them, such as digital ethics experts, privacy advocates, creativity coaches, forecasters and futurists, chief imaginators, human-machine supervisors, therapists and coaches of any kind, cooks (but only on the top level), storytellers (kA brand designers), craftspeople, artists and other creators,  and many more.

See my other links on the future of work.  Other posts on this topic, all ‘jobs' posts on this site.

Any, as usual, some related images on this topic

Watch this related video