Technology wíll change the workplace for the better. Here’s how.

“Robots will wipe out 20 million factory jobs by 2030!” “Soon we’ll be managed by AI.”

Apocalyptic headlines like these are storming at us, reminding us of the impact of technology on work. Our work. How it will disappear and how we will all suffer from it. 

All of this news is true. Robots, automation and AI have already replaced millions of jobs and will continue to do so. But I’m an optimist at heart and I truly believe that technology can help humans perform better. Randstad’s latest Flexibility@Work report shows how our digitized economy will have a positive net effect on the number of jobs available. New technologies will actually boost the number of jobs by around 0.5% per year across developed countries.

So instead of focusing on the short-term effects, the disruptive nature of technology and the job losses, I advise to look further into the future of work. A future in which technology will fundamentally change the workplace for the better. 

1. Automation and globalization won’t just change the structure of the labor market. It will also change the structure of work itself.

Computers changed the job of the secretary. Once upon a time being a secretary meant managing tasks. Nowadays being a secretary means managing computer systems. The same applies for recruiters: algorithms are scanning resumes so that the humans behind those algorithms can focus on the behaviors that boost employee motivation and happiness. This shift in work structure is set to happen for many more jobs. Work with a lot of routine tasks will be less about humans doing those routine tasks, but more about humans structuring those routine tasks.

2. In the future, work will increasingly be about humans being human.

As opposed to robots, humans are empathetic, are able to connect dots, create and imagine, and analyze and strategize. These are all skills that robots will not be able to take over – yet. 

3. Going forward, work will increasingly be the responsibility of the worker, instead of the employer.

Workers need to actively monitor their, as we call it, employability. They need to frequently check in and ask themselves: how employable am I in the current job market? What can I offer employers? How capable am I to get and keep fulfilling work?

They need to check in with themselves, to get a check up, in the same way they would when going to a doctor for a yearly checkup. Think of like measuring your temperature with a thermometer, but then eyeing the job market. 

4. In the future of work, technology will continue to polarize the job market.

This is because many of the tasks performed by medium-skilled workers will be automated. These workers will need to up- or reskill to be prepared for the future of work. Meanwhile, automation of routine tasks will make high-skilled workers more productive and, at the same time, many tasks that do not require high levels of technical skill – like cleaning or hairdressing – will be difficult to automate. So, low-skilled work won’t decline as much as middle-skilled work does. 

This polarization is reinforced by the new frontiers technology will create: those of frontier work, last-mile work and wealth work. Frontier work is about developing the future. It’s about installing, maintaining, and deploying new technologies, like robot integration, search engine optimization, or radiological medicine. Last-mile work is the work that involves carrying out nearly-automated tasks, like content taggers or facial recognition verifiers. And then there are the new wealth workers, tasked with boosting productivity for high earners. They’re the dog groomers, personal trainers or counselors and don’t involve a high level of technical skills. 

5. In the future of work job titles will sound a whole lot different.

A lot of new jobs will arise, many of which we have never heard of. The OECD estimates that 65% of the children currently at nursery school will end up doing a job with a completely new job title, like ‘vertical urban gardener’ or ‘drone controller’. 

To make the most of the future of work, we, together with our systems, need to get prepared. We need to adjust our educational systems. We need our workers to reskill and upskill. And we need companies to educate workers about the importance of employability. But how do we do that? How do you structure such a big system change? I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this. Let me know what you think in the comments below.