Want to guarantee a job in the future? It might be time to look into a career in engineering and ROBOTICS
Researchers from the World Economic Forum have predicted that two thirds of today's primary school children will end up in careers which don't even exist yet
IF you want to future-proof your career, join the AI revolution and become a robot counsellor or an autonomous car engineer.
It may sound like something from a sci-fi movie but, according to a World Economic Forum report, 65 per cent of today’s primary school children will end up doing jobs that don’t yet exist.
Your Life, an educational campaign to ensure the UK has the maths and physics skills needed to succeed, has an app called Future Finder, which highlights jobs we can expect to do in future.
Here are five of the best:
- Aesthetician: The beauty therapist of the future, thanks to advances in biochemistry that allow people to control their looks.
- Simplicity expert: Integral in the ever more complex world of business, they will be tasked with looking at how businesses can streamline their operations.
- Gamification designer: The creators who make game-like experiences out of otherwise boring activities, tackling anything from giving up bad habits to keeping fit.
- Nostalgist: Using virtual reality, nostalgists will take people back to a favoured time in history.
- Carbon capture technician: The people responsible for saving the planet by slowing down climate change. They will do this by using new technologies to capture and safely use greenhouse gases.
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MOST READ IN MONEY
WANDERING MINDS
HALF of office workers in the UK admit they are unproductive for up to an hour every day because their concentration wanders.
The lost hours add up to 250 million work days a year – and the solution suggested by most people is to take more days off.
In a report by office solutions brand Fellowes two-thirds of the people questioned suggested introducing a four-day working week to help keep staff focused and boost effectiveness.
Researchers discovered workplace distractions hit staff around 15 times a day, with IT issues, chatting and internet browsing mainly responsible.
Grace Marshall, of Think Productive, said: “Our ability to think well increases the quality of our work, not how many hours we show up at the office.”
Start-ups on the up
ONE in ten of us plan to start our own businesses in the next 12 months.
A study by Axa suggests the shift towards self-employment is going to accelerate rapidly.
It is thought that job market insecurity could be behind the trend, with four in ten budding entrepreneurs believing their current job is unlikely to last beyond 2021, while one in ten says it may not last the year.
Just over half of would-be business owners said they would quit their job once they start up.
One in three willl be more cautious and seek to reduce their hours – an option open to many more people since flexible working rights were extended to all workers in 2014.
And almost one in five say they will never give up the security of a job but will run their business in their own time.
Gareth Howell, managing director at Axa Insurance, said: “This research just reveals the tip of the iceberg.
“We believe there is a seismic shift underway in the way people work and plan for their futures.
“Running a business is no longer the preserve of the few, but is becoming a normal career progression, whether it runs alongside a job or is the sole source of income.”
BIDDING MILLIONAIRES
MORE than 200 British eBayers have become millionaires since 2013 – thanks to booming sales of fashion, furniture and electronics.
Monty George, 20, pictured with business partner Dan Beckles, 19. is one of them, having chosen to swerve university to launch Wiltshire-based online furniture store Furniture Box, with business partner Dan Beckles, 19, in 2015.
The business now turns over more than £1million.
Despite the economic turbulence of the early 2010s, the UK’s online economy has proven increasingly robust, with the number of eBay millionaires rising by 50 per cent since 2013 – from 443 to 663.
Rob Hattrell, vice president of eBay in the UK, said: “The businesses trading on eBay make us who we are, and I’m delighted that we are helping even more of them hit the million-pound mark.”
Question time now trickier
HOW many calories are there in a grocery store?
It’s a tough question, but one which Google has asked job candidates.
Employers want to get interviewees thinking on their feet and are changing the way they recruit staff.
Bizarre interrogations have included, “How would you deal with an explosive being thrown through the window in the workplace?”, “What would be your preferred shoe size?” and “What would you serve for breakfast for an African king?”
found almost two thirds of Brits have been asked a tricky interview question, with more than half admitting they struggled to answer it.
Lee Biggins of said: “It may feel like a good idea to get candidates being creative but it’s clear job hunters are feeling the pressure.
“If you are faced with a tough question be sure to relate it back to why you’ll be an asset to the company.” So next time ASDA ask candidates, as they have before, “Which superhero would you most like to be?”
Say: “Supermarketman, I fill shelves at the speed of light.”