The Future of Work is Now! And the future of work has many faces to it. It has millennials and Gen Z who are faced with overwhelming amounts of choices via social media and information communication technologies such as smartphones. They have access to the world’s information at their fingertips, abundant data and information and an exponential amount of choices to make. The rate of change in the amount of data is staggering as well as 90% of the world’s data has been generated in the last 2 years itself. Talk about an information and Big Data tsunami hitting the younger generations.
So on one hand employers are starting to hypermarket themselves to prospective employees and employees are hypermarketing themselves to prospective employers at an increasing rate. It’s becoming harder for both prospective employers and employees to stay relevant in the digital age ironically because choices in the marketplace are becoming increasingly abundant.
The other aspect to the future of work is choices for remote working, freelance, gig options as well as co-working for onsite spaces. Different people have different perspectives on if the future of work is remote or if it is co-working. Personally, I believe like many predictions of the future, they are unpredictable, however I think it is safe to assume that optionality and choice will conquer in the digital age and we will see increasing fragmentation, customization and hybridization of choices in the marketplace.
Another interesting aspect is evolving technologies such as AI and robotics. I think that certain technologies have the power to augment the workforce (like Virtual Reality, Blockchain, Digital Avatars and 5G) however I believe certain technologies can go too far (such as Artificial General Intelligence and Robotics). It is very hard now to predict where the future is going with so many Next-Gen technologies from Blockchain, Virtual Reality, Quantum Computing to AI to 5G to Robotics to Digital Twins, etc, etc, simultaneously coming to marketplace at the same time.
To truly unlock the potential of digital transformation all of these next-gen technologies will have to come together through the cloud and be seamless for Millennials, Gen Z and the next generations who are used to ease of access to technology, friendly User Interfaces and User Experiences. They are generations that are highly stressed but have high expectations at the same time and are used to fully packaged experiences. They have access to the world’s information and even the jobs they work, will need to become a better experience for them then the next employers. And I believe employees now have much more leverage then employers in the future of work because of abundance of information so the onus of recruitment now falls in the hands of the employer more than it does than in the hands of employees.
The other aspect to the future of work is the mobile or globalized workforce. As more people come online and more generations settle into the clouds, there is an increasing demand for fully remote and mobile options. Some people are still talking about the 4-day work week, while younger generations such as Gen Z all expect fully remote options 5 days a week. And it makes sense if you think about it. The definition of work has been redefined and no longer means being confined or chained to a desk or a chair in a particular location during a specified time period like 9–5. Maybe in the last century, but in the 21st century and in the 2020s, younger generations can work wherever they want, whenever they want and however they want. That’s what they demand and that’s what they deserve if they have the talent. As Robotics take over the domains of IQ type jobs anyways, Creative, Artistic, Engineering and Entrepreneurial Jobs start to boom and these jobs require high levels of EQ, creativity, curiosity and freedom. Not something found in typical workplaces or typical work cultures. However these jobs are done better with higher levels of freedom.
And as 5G, Virtual Reality and Information Communication Technologies continue to evolve at an unprecedented pace I believe that we are quickly heading into this future that will support Creatives fully and create a fully digital and mobile workforce. I am excited for this future because I am more creative myself, however I just hope that the pay is decent although that’s not really what motivates me.
I do believe most current jobs are going to quickly go Extinct in a matter of a few months or years for a few reasons. Younger generations are losing interest, excitement and satisfaction with most current 9–5 jobs. They constantly compare themselves to people online and have access to abundant information. They want the best jobs, experiences and lifestyles for themselves. And we are moving into an Experience and Lifestyle Economy for better or worse. Younger generations all want to learn, grow and have a great work-life balance and you don’t find that with typical jobs, however I believe the digital economy that is emerging gives that satisfaction to many people, although the reward dynamics of the emergent digital economy are skewed right now to favor a few monopolistic companies or tech moguls. I believe those winner-take all dynamics need to be disrupted and should be disrupted for the sake of a healthier workforce, healthier economy and wealthier younger generations.
The jobs of the future will be increasingly hybridized and to unleash more value will require younger generations to have resilience and tap into EQ for higher potential, satisfaction and performance otherwise known as Flow Neuroscience (Check out Steven Kotler’s talk on How to Get Into The Flow State!)
I think humanity is entering a very exciting time and exciting future and we have to shift our mindset from scarcity to abundance and exponential thinking. Please check out Peter Diamandis LiveWorx Keynote on Exponential Tech: Disruption on the Road Ahead.
We are heading into a Science-Fiction Fantasy Future, which sounds kind of crazy but really makes complete sense when you think about the type of technology we currently possess and at the extraordinary pace of change our exponential technologies are continually advancing. I think if you want to have a good understanding of the future you need to suspend all disbelief and watch some sci-fi movies and tv shows and you will start to see commonalities between where our world is heading and some of those worlds. Because our world is changing at an unimaginable rate and most people are living in the 18th century with a Victorian Mindset while a few winners are living in the 21st century with a Maverick Mindset. And it’s not easy, it’s hard to achieve a higher mindset and it get’s harder to continually push yourself to the next level and the next level and keep pushing in whatever you are doing (what you are doing does not matter too much as long as there are creative elements to it because like I said before Creativity and EQ has been and will only continue to be disproportionately rewarded in the 21st century) but that’s what’s ultimately required to win in the 21st century.