Future of work and it’s perceived impact on mid-career professionals

Abstract

The world of work has been changing radically, more so , in the last two decades. Along with that huge career opportunities and some newer challenges seem to be appearing for the newer work force(Gratton, 2011). The thrill of new career opportunities as well as fear of job-loss looms large for most mid-career professionals in developed countries and emerging economies too. The PwC report (2017) titled “Workforce of the future-The competing forces shaping 2030”, carries a comment from Blair Sheppard, PwC’s Global Leader, Strategy and “it’s not just about acquiring knowledge, but about how to learn. … we should remember that intellectual complacency is not our friend and that learning – not just new things but new ways of thinking – is a life-long endeavor.” The term ‘megatrends’ in recent times is used to include - rapid technological advances, demographic shifts in age, size and distribution of the world’s population, wide-spread urbanisation, economic power-shift between developing and developed countries, and, depleting natural resources resulting in the rise of alternative energy sources and livelihood. Clearly, of significant concern is the rapidly evolving area of automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence holding the threat of replacing jobs and skills. As per the report, skills for the future include problem-solving, leadership, EQ (Emotional Intelligence), empathy, creativity, innovation, imagination, and design skills, which will be prioritized by employers.