Technology will shift job content. Here’s what we need to do.

How you and I do our work is undergoing a major transformation, thanks to rapid technological innovation. This trend has been going on for many years, and we’re now entering a period of accelerated change. If you listen to the alarmists, job losses are unavoidable and large numbers of people will become redundant. But if there is one thing I have learned as the CEO of a global business, it’s not to panic. 

More than anything else, I believe the value of people has never been greater. For sure robots and automation will replace some tasks now undertaken by humans, but the jobs that people continue to do now and in the future will be more meaningful and impactful for society. I’m confident that the importance of humans in the workplace will increase instead of decline. To get there, however, we must rethink the skills employers will need and how we can help talent to acquire them.  

For 200 years, technology has raised hope and ignited the fear about the future, yet time and again we see the benefits to society have outweighed any disadvantages. The OECD reports that technological change and globalization, in fact, hold great promise for workers and the labor market. 

A sea change for workers and employers.

The OECD predicts that 14% of those in the industrialized market face potential job loss as a direct result of automation, but there is plenty of evidence that advancing technologies will actually increase total employment in the long run. In Randstad’s Flexibility@Work 2019 report, labor market experts stress that technology is likely to increase total employment by around 0.5% annually, while also enhancing workers’ job satisfaction. Moreover, AI promises to address issues that an inefficient labor market can’t, such as offset the effects of an aging workforce. McKinsey estimates that automation could raise productivity growth globally by 0.8% to 1.4% annually.

Expect job families to be reinvented. 

As we embrace new technologies, we must prepare for change in our roles. The OECD estimates that 32% of jobs are likely to change soon, and this will fundamentally alter our concept of work. New work categories will be distinguished by the extent to which tools are used and the need for additional human intelligence and support. These include:

• frontier work – urban center-based roles requiring high technology skills;
• wealth work – in-person services as urban gardeners and dog groomers;
• last-mile work – nearly-automated tasks, i.e., data entry clerks and content taggers.

Skills-building key to a brighter future.

The adoption of technology requires greater upskilling and reskilling and a game plan for empowering talent. For technology to work for all – this means avoiding skills shortages, mass unemployment and growing inequality – businesses must actively help employees prepare for new roles. At the same time, individuals will need to actively contribute to their own lifelong learning. Governments, too, should do their part through an array of programs. The most successful companies in 2020 and beyond will be those that invest in employees in a human-centric way.

Technology can help remove the burden of repetitive administrative work that is usually carried out by mid-skilled workers. If these tasks are taken over by technology, workers can focus on solving more complex and value-added tasks that demand human empathy and insight, while reducing errors. In this way, we will create a future of work that is meaningful and beneficial to everyone, while providing businesses with a highly skilled and motivated workforce. The future of work will be a future that works for all.