Today’s message is focused on the future of work. You may have seen this come out on LinkedIn earlier today, but if you haven’t, it is worth reading. The article written by Caroline Fairchild is titled “There will be plenty of jobs in the future: You just won’t be able to do them” and it discusses a recent McKinsey research report published about the changes to work in the next 15 years. This has been a topic that has been discussed over the past few years, but it is not new. There have been changes in our history that have also driven how work has changed over time and the skills that were required. The report advances that as much as 15% of the workforce may need to change jobs or at a minimum change their skillsets to adapt.
Automation and changing demographics are strong drivers for these changes. The report states that occupations requiring soft skills, technology and interacting with people are going to be growing while occupations that can be automated will be decreasing. There will still be a need for higher education as this quote explains, “with skills such as high-level logical reasoning and effectively managing teams becoming more in demand, McKinsey predicts higher levels of education will be required in the future as well.” Not all roles will require high levels of education though. In the healthcare field for example, the report states that “the economy offers one fast-growing job that doesn’t require advanced education: home healthcare. By 2030, there will be at least 300 million more people over the age of 65 globally, McKinsey predicts. Alongside that we will need as many as 130 million workers globally in health care over the same time period.”
Every day technology is disrupting the status quo. Things are moving so quickly and we can’t always see it coming. As leaders, we need to pay attention to the changes that are happening around us. Being adaptable and focusing on your skills is key. This impacts not only your success, but also your team and everyone working in your company. The work that we do today has become so much more interdependent globally and therefore has much bigger impacts when changes occur. We can’t just ignore that these changes are happening. Starting to look at these skill sets and preparing for these shifts now will ensure that people are ready when the time comes.
Leadership assessments are an easy way to give you insight into your skill sets and where you may want to adjust them. From now until the end of December, they are 50% off the normal pricing. Reach out to have a discussion with me to get started today!