How the Rise of Technology will Affect Your Career

The increased media commentary around automation and AI in the workplace has led many employees to question the security of their own jobs. Will robots take our jobs?  How do we future-proof our careers?

These are all common questions of many workers in Australia.  However, the rise of technology in the workplace is not something to be prevented. In fact, it has already started, and we need to move with it rather than fight against it.

Research from McKinsey found that 45% of current jobs can be automated. This isn’t purely roles that are low skilled and low wage roles, but it will also impact executive roles with finance managers, senior executives and CEOs all having parts of their role affected by the rise in automation.

Innovation in technology will create jobs

Contrary to belief, the rise of technology is going to have the opposite affect than most people think.  It will create jobs not limit them.  The jobs however, will be different.

Technology will make efficiencies, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t have a place in the workplace.  The importance in relation to new technology is for you to adopt it not bury your head in the sand and hope it doesn’t affect you.

Those people who embrace the new ways of working – whatever that looks like for them – will thrive when compared to others than may fall behind if they resist the change.

How can I start adapting?

The process of adapting to new technologies starts with a personal audit.  Looking at your current skills and experience along with identifying what it is about your career history that you have enjoyed; to plan where you want to be in the future.

Many of your existing skills will still be relevant and in demand when technology starts to enter your workplace.

Soft skills such as problem solving, collaboration, communication and idea generation will all still be required in the new working landscape.

Further, technical skills and experience that you have gained will also be required.  This may be project management, creativity and strategy or people management; there are many existing skills that will be needed in the future world of work.  A priority for you therefore, is to gain a solid understanding of your experience and skills and how this may be utilised in a new way alongside technology in the future.

In addition to understanding your transferrable skillset you need to look at areas where you could improve your knowledge and experience.  Reskilling and upskilling now, to best position yourself for the future, needs to be part of your career planning.

There are many ways to increases your knowledge and skills from online learning, events, additional courses and schooling, through to ongoing reading and consumption of materials on certain topics to give you an understanding in relevant areas of your business or role.

Examples of transferring skill

Here in Australia, manufacturing has been hit hard.  According to the 2016 Census, manufacturing jobs fell from 902,000 workers in 2011 to 683,000 in 2016.  This reduction was very real for workers at the Melbourne Toyota plant in 2017.  2,700 people were made redundant and Adecco got to work to help identify what type of work we could place some of these workers into.

A large percentage of the workers had previously been in contact with Adecco, some who we had placed previously into work almost fourteen years before.

We identified a gap in the welding market for the construction industry, where around three thousand positions were needed. In partnership with Victoria University, we designed a course that would reskill the workers from Toyota in the skills needed to become a welder. 280 former Toyota workers who were made redundant were subsequently reskilled with welding capability. We then placed every single worker who completed the Welding training skills course into employment in Melbourne.

A great success story of how technology impacted an entire sector, and through a simple retraining program, staff managed to funnel their careers into a new direction.  If you need assistance in identifying your strengths and skillset or would like more information on what the job market is like for your current role, reach out and contact us today!