Will there be jobs in the future?

There will be jobs in the future but not as we know it today. Jobs of today will be so different to the jobs of tomorrow. Because we are all uniquely created with different personalities and talents, there will always be people wanting to pay someone else to do the work that they can’t do or don’t want to do. This exchange of money for labour has been around for centuries and it will not go away. However, the focus will now be on the value given in exchange for money. The value expectation will be much higher in the future.

As long as there are willing sellers (i.e., employees, freelancers, consultants, etc.) and willing buyers (i.e., business owners, employers, etc.), there will always be paid jobs to be done and transacted. There will always be people wanting to pay someone else to do things.

The premise is that we are all uniquely created with different skills and talents.

We pay other people who are better than us to do the things that we can’t do or don’t want to do. That’s specialisation. That’s who we are.

Jobs exist so that we can earn some money (i.e., salaries, wages, etc.) to survive. It’s the exchange mechanism that has been around for centuries and will continue to do so in the future.

For most of us, we have to get jobs to pay our bills.

Here’s the thing.

There must be value given in exchange for money.

If you provide something that is not of value to another person, then you will upset that person. For example, you produced a sub-standard report for your manager. Or you produced an item that requires reworking by your colleagues.

Granted that the concept of value is rather subjective, it can be based on perceptions and requirements. There will be acceptable best practices, international standards, cultural norms, etc. that will guide our decisions on whether something is of value or not.

Value creation is also about the ability to solve problems.

People are more than willing to pay someone else to solve their problems for them.

For example, you will gladly pay a dentist to solve (eliminate) your painful tooth problem.

That’s why consultants earn big bucks by solving their clients’ problems.

The ability to problem solves will be key for staying in a job and continuously earning money in the future.

When we can no longer produce value or solve problems for another person, then we will not have a job.

There will not be an exchange.

There’s no money to be earned.

So, how does value creation look like for you in the future?

Do you have the ability and capacity to constantly solve future problems given your current skills, experience, and education?

Using a wine analogy, when we do not preserve wine in the appropriate manner, the wine will turn into vinegar. The wine that turns into vinegar will be useless to everyone.

It is said that the half-life of knowledge and skills is only five years. This effectively means that in five years time, if you do not do anything to your current skills, knowledge, and experience, half of what you know will become useless and cannot be used in the workplace.

When the tenth year arrives, you will become totally useless. There’s no usable skills and knowledge left in you.

So, how are you continuously preserving and enhancing your skills, experience, and education in preparation for the future?

With the exponential pace of technological innovation that we are currently facing, the future of work will be so different.

We have to anticipate what the future looks like.

We have to strategically predict what potential skills, experience, and knowledge are needed to solve future problems so that we remain employable in jobs in the future.

There are many tools and strategies for you to future-proof yourself and remain employable in a job.

It will take significant effort for that to occur.

Are you committed to your future?

The hope and pray strategy will not work for many people.

Fear about the future is okay, but complacency kills jobs.

The choice is yours to make. Make it wisely.