What is the future world of work?
The world of work means all the jobs people do and the way they do them. It does not stay the same. A hundred years ago many people worked on farms; today many work in offices, shops and with computers.
New technology (tools made with knowledge) is the main reason jobs change. Another reason is that people live longer, move to cities and want different things.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
An industrial revolution is a big jump in how things are made. First came steam engines, then electricity and factories, then computers. The Fourth Industrial Revolution joins digital tools: artificial intelligence (AI), robots, the internet of things (everyday objects connected to the internet) and big data.
This time the change is fast and touches every country at once. That is why schools talk about it.
Automation: tasks go, jobs change
Automation means a machine does a task by itself. Tasks that are routine (same steps again and again) are easiest to automate: sorting parcels, typing the same form, counting items.
Most jobs are a bundle of many tasks. When a machine takes one task, the job changes. It does not always disappear. Some jobs do disappear, and workers then need help to learn something new.
- Falling jobs: routine data entry, simple assembly.
- Rising jobs: care, teaching, repair of machines, clean energy, data and AI helpers, creative work.
Skills that stay valuable
Skills machines find hard: people skills (listening, teamwork), creative thinking, solving new problems, care for others and learning how to learn. Add basic digital skills: using the internet safely and working with data.
Many young people also start their own small business (a start-up) to meet a new need. Work can also be remote (done from home), part-time, or gig work (one small job at a time), so planning money and learning matter.
Learn all your life
Reskilling = learning a new skill for a new job. Upskilling = getting better at the job you have.
Try it
Ask a grown-up: "What did you do at work 10 years ago and what has changed?" Write 3 tasks that have changed. Then in the 3D, set the Year slider to the end and count the green blocks.
Key formulas and definitions
- Automation = a machine does a task
- Job = a bundle of many tasks (some can be automated, some cannot)
- Reskilling = learn a new skill for a new job; Upskilling = improve the skills you have
- Routine task = same steps again and again; Non-routine = needs judgement, people or new ideas
Worked examples
1. A shop uses a self-checkout machine. Which task did the machine take, and which tasks still need a person?
The machine took the routine task of scanning and adding the price. Tasks still done by people: helping a confused customer, keeping shelves full, handling problems and keeping the shop safe. The cashier job changes; it does not simply vanish.
2. A factory had 10 workers doing a routine task. A robot now does it, and 3 workers are trained to repair robots. How many workers have a new job in the factory? What happens to the others?
3 workers have a new job (repair). 7 workers no longer have that task. They need help: reskilling for other work, support from the company or government, and time to learn.
3. Sort these into "likely to be automated first" or "likely to stay with people": (a) sorting letters by PIN code (b) comforting a sick child (c) typing the same form again and again (d) designing a new playground.
Automated first: (a) and (c), both are routine. Stay with people: (b) needs care and kindness; (d) needs creative thinking.
4. Rina is a data-entry operator. Give 3 steps for her to prepare for the future of work.
1) Learn a new digital skill such as spreadsheets analysis or checking AI output. 2) Practise people skills like explaining results to others. 3) Keep learning every week (short online course) and watch which jobs are growing in her area.
Common mistakes
- Thinking "robots will take all jobs". Technology removes some tasks and jobs, and also creates new ones.
- Thinking only computer jobs matter. Care, teaching, farming and repair are also future jobs.
- Stopping learning after school or college. Skills get old quickly, so learning must continue.
- Mixing up "task" and "job". A job is a bundle of tasks; a machine often takes only one.