How to Save Our Jobs - from Robots Data Science and AI

Research by the Oxford University suggests that about half of the jobs we know today will have vanish within the next 25 years. However, there is contrary research which suggests that data science, artificial intelligence and robotics will actually create more jobs than they destroy - over time. The key message seems to be transformation - as the jobs that are created would be significantly different from those that are destroyed - leaving the job market of the future looking nothing like the job market of today.

But regardless of what suggestions we believe, what is quite clear is that the world tomorrow will be significantly different from the world to which we have become accustomed.

So, the big question would be, are we going to end up on the downside where our jobs disappear and our skills become redundant or are we going to journey over to the upside where we have what it takes to be able to take advantage of the new jobs and significant opportunities that new data technologies will bring?

And so, for those of us keen to arrive at the upside, below are some important and pertinent actions that we can take - today - to ensure we indeed do not get left behind.

#1 Staying physically and mentally fit

There can be little doubt that our health is about the most important aspect of our lives - and so, this is indeed must be the most pertinent area of focus, to ensure that we are best placed to take advantage of future opportunities and to ensure we are not left behind.

Ironically, our health seems to be the aspect of our lives that finds itself lowest in our priority order. It is, however, clear that this is not because we do not attach significant importance to it but because it seems most challenging to get it right. So, below are a few relatively simple and helpful ideas - to help us stay both physically and mentally fit.

A little less caffeine and alcohol

Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can increase the likelihood of stress. For instance, a recent World Economic Forum article suggested that "sleeping just 16 minutes less than usual" could impact work performance - the next day. Another study found that poor sleep could lead to experiencing more stress. Research has also established a link between alcohol or caffeine intake and quality of sleep.

The suggestion was not necessarily to do anything radical (such as complete abstinence from coffees, teas, coca cola or alcohol) but to ask ourselves, "can we live with having just a little less than we currently have?" - in order to improve sleep patterns and our general well-being.

Every little - lifestyle change - helps!

A few moments in the moment

There can be little doubt that yoga can be calming, mindfulness can be soothing, and meditation can be pacifying, but most of us struggle to engage with any of these - with any regularity. However, evidence suggests that just having a few stretches - for a few minutes - a day can make a tangible difference. There are also really cool Apps - like "headspace" - that not only come highly recommended but make meditation more accessible and a good night's sleep more achievable.

Try a little more exercise than you already do

With over 20 million people in the UK physically inactive, a BBC article once asked "should exercise be compulsory at work?". But exercise does not have to mean a trip to the gym or even anything overly strenuous.

Just standing up - perhaps on the train, on the bus or at work - instead of sitting, could be incredibly helpful towards both physical and mental fitness!

Other suggestions could include walking to the train station (rather than getting the bus or driving), walking halfway up the stairs (and perhaps getting the lift or elevator the rest of the way up), standing or walking around while on the phone, and walking to get some lunch (rather than lunch at one's desk).

There is also evidence to suggest that prolonged - gentle - activities (such as doing the dishes, cleaning or light gardening) could be more beneficial than short bouts of intense exercise (such as going to the gym or going for a run).

Contemplate using a stress bucket

Not all stress is bad for us. A little stress can actually drive and increase productivity. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology by researchers at the University of Toronto, a little stress at work can improve performance, help meet goals, and increase productivity.

However, stress can be most disruptive if it becomes overwhelming - and so, it could be helpful to employ the stress bucket as an extremely powerful tool for contemplating and management stress. The traditional approach considers that stress inducing things cause stressful waters to flow into the bucket (until it fills up or potentially overflows), whilst stress relieving things cause stressful waters to flow out of the bucket.

An alternative analogy is presented by the Pamela Minelli strategies. It suggests filling ones' bucket with resilience building or stress reducing goodies - whilst stress inducing baddies cause the goodies to drain out of our buckets. This analogy, therefore, suggests that the more good stuff - such as sleep, nutrition, and exercise - we stuff our buckets with, the more resilient we would be.

#2 Keep learning and building capabilities

In an incredibly insightful article, Jon Williams discusses some thoughts and opinions on what challenges and opportunities the future of work might present.

A telling analogy was the Uber and gig economy enabling GPS, data and AI technology juxtaposed alongside the near overnight extinction of the printed street map publishing industry. However, whereas a sub section of the publishing industry undoubtedly did suffer consequences, the overall economic impacts are arguably positive - with it not effacing the taxi driving profession (if anything making it even easier and more accessible) and with it providing more consumer choice. This revolutions has exerted significantly more upwards pressure on efficiency and downward pressure on price - a win-win situation for economic productivity and ultimately for customer experience.

However, most incredibly - given the number of factors that come into play in any attempt to predict a most uncertain future - it remains incredibly difficult to be sure of what jobs and/or skills are likely to be required or are likely to be "safe".

One of the only certainties, therefore, is the "need to do whatever we can to provide access to and support for a lifetime of learning" - especially given as it has become increasingly clear that "no-one can afford to set and forget their working life any more."

So, as the world continues on what seems an incessant and accelerating technologically enhanced drive towards utopia, there is an evidently inherent risk of today's "jobs" disappearing.

It is, however, quite telling that "as technological innovation accelerates at an ever-increasing rate, human and business capability to derive value from this productivity potential, lags ever farther behind - because education and skills cannot keep pace with this rate of change."

And so, it is becoming increasingly clear that, as Mauricio Macri - President of Argentina - stated at the 2018 G20:

“The future of work will be a race between education and technology.”

But one needs not look to seemingly distant research to see evidence of this - in reality.

Anyone who has experienced a technology transformation - perhaps a move to the cloud, machine learning or other digital enabled transformation - would know only too well that, it is not the "legacy" or "heritage" technology that is ultimately left behind but the people.

And so, the trend seems to be that there is an every increasing gap between the rate of technology change and the rate at which people or skills are able to keep up. It is, therefore, quite clear that if the future of work is a race between technology and education, then education is increasingly showing to be the clear loser.

So, what can be done about this and what needs to change?

There can be little doubt that, in order to remain relevant in tomorrow's world, there must be a move from a "knowing" mindset to a lifelong "learning" mindset. And so, one can imagine a future world where there is a radical shift in focus towards capabilities of adaptability and speed of assimilation - increasingly driven by absorptive capacity, agility and flexibility. And this would, undoubtedly, have radical and profound implications not only for universities - and other educational institutions or systems of learning - but also on organisations and the fundamental concept of knowledge.

A fundamental shift for those businesses looking to remain competitive would most certainly see capital investment increasingly channelled towards training and development - especially as more and more organisations come to realise that they cannot sustainably buy all their talent requirements anymore but would need to look to build some "internally" too.

So, what do these challenges mean for you and how might you use the knowledge presented above to help you prepare for an increasingly uncertain future?

#3 Establishing an appropriate mindset

With such radical predictions on the future of work, it is no wonder why the talent market seems a ferocious battlefield - not only for organisations trying to attract and retain the best of the best but also for candidates looking to get into the professions of the future and take advantage of the significant opportunities that data, AI and robotics will undoubtedly bring.

So, it is - perhaps - little surprise that a most incredibly important conversation point has been "what is an appropriate mindset for maintaining our relevance well into an uncertain and unpredictable future?".

This is not only really important given its obvious pertinence in today's world but especially so because;

I personally believe that, in an increasingly data dominated world which is understandably focused around big data, cloud data, data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence, we seem to have lost sight of ourselves - the ultimate creators and the ultimate consumers.

In today's diverse labour market, there is undoubtedly very high demand for heritage skills.

However, in a world that is changing at a much faster rate than one can get a university degree, it is no longer sufficient just to know how to "do" but it is now vitally important to know how to "learn".

So, "what kind of mindset is essential to succeed in such a rapidly changing world"? "What key tools would keep us ahead of the game - in an increasingly competitive talent marketplace"?

The three key attributes - that not only radically enhance ones job acquisition and retention potential but are also extremely sought after by the most desirable organisations - are the inquisitive mind, being a life-long learner and intellectual humility.

3 Key TakeAway Tips:

And so, to summarise, it is perhaps helpful to remind ourselves of the 3 key takeaway tips shared above:

• Staying physically and mentally fit
• Keep learning and building capabilities
• Establishing an appropriate mindset

I hope you find these tips simple and helpful - for approaching a changing world, awash with opportunities untold, with the confidence and the capabilities we so desperately need.

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