29 Sep 2015

I’m sure you’re all totally sick of hearing about how there’s gonna be no jobs for us, how we’re going to have to work ‘til we’re so old we literally can’t anymore, how we’re studying for jobs that won’t exist in ten years, how our future is so depressing and we’ll never make any money – I know I am. But there may be hope yet!

Our generation will be creating a culture of entrepreneurialism: small business, app design, high tech start ups and any other bright ideas that could take over the world. We’ll be better skilled, especially in technology, since we’ve grown up in this digital age, and will be driving change in the existing workforce.

The Australian workforce is evolving based on new technologies as well as population growth, and the recent Super Connected Jobs report has identified the five key areas that are going to be growing and growing in the future, as 30 million new jobs open up by 2030.

First up, it’s care givers. These are support services, so demand will never decrease, especially not as the population grows. Nannies, fitness instructors, beauty therapists as well as social workers are going to be needed more than ever.

Technocrats are those who are highly educated and highly and specifically skilled, including electrical engineers, medical researchers and business entrepreneurs. So good news! You’re not studying for nothing.

Specialist professions, such as doctors, teachers, nurses and accountants, maintain systems and deliver outcomes and for this reason, we’ll always need them.

While a lot of jobs have been changing or are becoming obsolete due to developments in technology, the ‘doers’ are a category that will remain strong no matter how much we automate. Plumbers, electricians, carpenters fall under this category, as do waiters (because robots bringing us our food is still probably a good couple of years in the future at this point).

Lastly, the creatives. This is a category that will never go out of style as long as we as humans keep placing such high value on experiences that please us, like art. Things like stylists, photographers and actors will continue to be valued, and roles like ‘social media engineer’ are becoming increasingly important (and we’ve got the skills built in).

So there’s a little bit of brightness for an otherwise seemingly bleak future. A light at the end of the tunnel, if you will. We’re gonna be fine, guys! We’re gonna be fine!