The radical acceleration of digitalization and technological transformation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic is undeniable. As a result, around 100 million workers might need to switch jobs by 2030.
In a report presented by consultancy firm McKinsey, nearly 12% more workers in 8 countries might be up for a career change. Moreover, as some jobs disappear, newer jobs are bound to be in demand.
The ‘future of work’
Bank of America cited the McKinsey report to present the reality of new-generation technology jobs – especially those that deal with artificial intelligence, the internet of things and augmented and virtual reality.
The bank’s ‘Future of Work’ report indicated that new roles would be created by the end of the decade, drawing support from Word Economic Forum (WEF) data. The WEF found that over two-thirds of children in school will soon work jobs that have not been created yet.
Bank of America reiterated that the arrival of such jobs should be prepared for and that it is necessary for people to “adapt their skillset” to be able to transition successfully for “the workplace of tomorrow.”
A list of the ‘jobs of the future’
Felix Tran, the lead author of the Bank of America report, enumerated 10 examples of so-called ‘jobs of the future.’
- Space tourist guide – More billionaires like Jeff Bezos are venturing into commercial space explorations. On the other hand, private citizens are clamoring for space adventures. This is why space tour guides are going to be necessary to ensure safety.
- Lab meat scientist – Veganism’s rise and the growing popularity of lab-grown meat has made food scientists more relevant. These lab meat scientists grow and maintain this cultured meat in Petri dishes.
- Leisure planner – By 2025, automation is expected to free up an extraordinary amount of time for humans as machines will handle mundane and repetitive tasks. As a result, recreational time will increase, and leisure planners will be needed.
- Climate geoengineers – As the global climate crisis grows acute in the next decade, scientists will be commissioned to invent technology for planet cooling. These include stratospheric chemicals used to cool the earth and the initiation of ‘man-made eruptions.’
- Nanomedicine surgeons – Surgeons could specialize in the use of nano-sized robots to cure patients.
- Data privacy manager – These workers will specialize in the prevention of data privacy risks and concerns.
- Virtual reality influencer – As social media influencers proved to create significant traction for markets, augmented and virtual reality can profit from such influencers.
- Agriculture rewilding strategist – With the current emphasis on global climate change initiatives, these workers will engage in carbon capture by strategically repurposing forestry and farmland.
- Genetic computational AI biologist – The health industry has developed innovative technologies such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) for DNA sequence alternation. Scientists have declared that CRISPR has been successful in identifying COVID-19 protective genes.
- Non-bias ethical algorithm programmer – As AI grows big and profitable globally, programmers that inject ethics into AI will be needed.
