Week in Review: It’s on you to remain relevant
By Karamjit Singh July 29, 2017
- Both white and blue collar jobs will be hammered by AI and robotics
- What kind of skills will Grab need, what kind of new jobs will it create in SEA
RATHER than complain about politics, I expect that at some point in the near future we are all going to be talking about what skills we each need remain relevant in our careers.
We won’t be complaining how robots and AI (Artificial Intelligence) have taken a wrecking ball to the long standing foundation of jobs that we have taken for granted.
As article after article, report on top of study on top of analysis will show us, jobs, skills and the nature of work are changing across all types of careers, hitting blue and white collar jobs with equal ferocity.
The realization will hit that we have to adapt to move up the future career path because to not adapt means to be stagnant and to earn stagnant or falling wages. A scary thought.
Another sobering reality – companies will always be looking to increase efficiency and productivity and if software and automation can take some aspects of your job away, you can bet your employer will pull the trigger on that decision.
So what can we do, especially those of us in our 30s and above who did not grow up in a digital first world? I am using the launch of the iPhone in 2008 as a rough marker for when digital adoption started accelerating.
Well, we can help ourselves. Follow and read about the trends that are happening in your field and watch what is happening in high cost and developed markets where the impact of AI and robots will hit first.
Those in manufacturing, watch what China is doing. It’s fascinating to me that a government that needs to create tents of million of new jobs a year is allowing its manufacturing companies to aggressively adopt higher levels of automation and AI as they seek to raise profits.
Southeast Asian companies and citizens have time to learn and adapt and we should use it well. As for me, I have been thinking about learning to use data in my articles but it has remained a thought these past few years.
Will I be motivated enough by the fear of being less relevant, to start learning how to apply data to my work?
For those of us in the workforce and who have kids in school, you should read Sharmila Ganapathy’s article about what IBM is doing to equip the future workforce with relevant work skills and its thoughts around its New Collar work skills.
At the same time, you should also read this interesting New York Times article that makes the case for how many current work skills are still relevant for tomorrow’s jobs as well.
And as Grab, (is it still a ride hailing app?) announces that it is raising an eye popping US$2 billion with a further US$500 million after that to dominate its space in SEA, what kind of skills will they need and what kind of jobs will they create? Watch them too for clues to what future work and jobs will look like.
Here’s wishing you a restful weekend and a productive week after.
Editor’s Picks:
Bringing the future a step closer to home
5G is a ways off, but gestation is shorter this time
Digital transformation in Indonesia is no longer just a buzzword: Pure Storage
Grab raises US$2bil in financing round
Hotshotz 2017 closes with two-day grand finals
GE Malaysia appoints Mark Rozario as new CEO
For more technology news and the latest updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
