Jobs that become important and activities that cease to exist
Each age has its own dynamics, developments and peculiarities and thus brings with it a lot of changes. The age of digitalization we are in has already decisively shaped the global professional world. It will undoubtedly continue to shape them and the greatest changes are still to come. Many jobs will be lost. Other important occupations will be added, or at least will become increasingly important.
The big time of intelligent machines
In many households, people are already talking and interacting with digital assistants. They help in everyday life by turning on or switching off the light, playing music lists or taking notes. As practical as some find these little helpers, others find them scary. For some, the surveillance alarm bells ring at the thought of always letting someone overhear. As a matter of fact warn various IT experts as well as large media, such as daily newspapers, always face the various dangers of intelligent voice assistants.
But not only in private, but also in the world of work, many people are afraid of the continuously intelligent machines. This may be due to the fact that more and more professions can be taken over by machines. This gives rise to the thought that human labor may become redundant.
But the skepticism towards intelligent robots is unfounded. The good news: robots mainly take on routine tasks, and humans continue to do most of the more complex tasks. Especially when it comes to activities that are not safe for people and where, for example, presses or heavy and sharp machines and tools are used in production, it is practical for robots to take over the tasks. Furthermore new opportunities arise and career opportunities around the development and manufacture of the robots themselves.
The Institute for Labor Market and Vocational Research published one in 2016 study with the title “Substitutability Potential of Professions”. The results speak for themselves: in some professional segments, more than 50% of the work can potentially be done by computers. For individual segments, there is hardly a need for human labor.
Some activities that may soon be discontinued
Taxi drivers as well as bus and truck drivers
The upheaval potential in the transport sector and in logistics is also enormous in Germany. Autonomous driving is flourishing and will automate some professions in the future. It could be difficult for taxi drivers, bus and truck drivers in particular. In addition to significant reductions in operating costs when replacing human labor, there is also argument for greater security and increased efficiency. Incidentally, two autonomous buses have been operating in Bad Birnbach, Bavaria, for example, since October 2019.
However, the topic of AI, robots and autonomous driving is still a controversial one. Research still faces challenges and tasks that have to be mastered. So said too Christoph Dahl, Managing Director of the Baden-Württemberg Foundation, which handles projects from research, education, society and culture, in an interview that we published in December 2018:
“An important topic became clear: ethics in digital. It plays a role in autonomous driving, for example, where the behavior of the vehicle can decide the life and death of other road users. Digital ethics will keep us busy in the future. What does the use of algorithms in case law mean when assessing damage? “
Manufacturing professions, such as machine operators
Many customers appreciate handmade products more than machine-made ones. However, the latter are in most cases significantly cheaper and can be produced in large quantities in a much shorter time. Most large companies will therefore try to use robots in manufacturing professions in the future. Merely, in cases where the operation of a machine that produces products or services in the same quality and quantity as a human worker is more expensive, it is not worth substituting for entrepreneurs.
Machine setters, such as milling and planing machines and the like, will probably be almost completely replaced by mobile, collaborative robots in the coming decades.
Cashier, counter and receptionist professions
Customers can already shop in a number of supermarkets without having direct contact with a human seller or cashier. It is very likely that cashiers in particular will be completely replaced by robots or automatic machines in the future. Self-checkouts are likely to continue to be monitored and controlled by human employees, but the emergency services present in supermarkets will decrease significantly.
In other places, too, where routine and standardized tasks have so far been carried out by humans, machines will be ahead in the future. For example, at counters in train stations or airports or hotel receptions, where, for example, facial scanners could be used to check identity.
The list of professions that will become more and more automated in the future is of course much longer. The following occupational segments and specific occupations also have great potential for substitution:
- Company-related service occupations
- Logistics professions
- Professions in corporate management and organization
- Seller
- buyers
- Pack worker
- Postal worker
- Bank employee
- Financial analysts
- Watch adjusters and watch adjusters
- Telephone seller.
Professions for which human workers are becoming more important
A look at the professions at risk can quickly make you feel bad and a pessimistic view of the unemployment of the future. However, in the course of history there have always been emerging professional fields due to technical and scientific advances and upheavals. Our current digital and automated time is no exception.
Data detectives
Every internet user leaves a lot of data online. In the near future, companies will need data detectives to analyze all of the data they collect, generate answers to business questions, and make recommendations based on their results. It works by carefully examining the data generated by the Internet of Things, devices, sensors, biometric monitors, traditional computer infrastructure, etc. The latest big data and AI tools are used for this.
The profession could be of interest to anyone who is a fan of detective and crime series, but is less interested in all that annoying blood. Because data detectives have to meticulously identify and examine data records from multiple sources. The aim is to uncover new data sources, to mix data records from several data sources and to be able to compare and analyze them. Then reports are written and the results presented to the company. In this way, companies and organizations should get data-driven insights into opportunities for improvement.
Edge computing master
Currently, when using cloud computing services, all data is stored in massive central data centers that belong to a few companies. However, it is far more efficient and practical to process data where it is collected. Here it comes Edge computing comes into play: It describes the decentralized data processing on the edge of the network.
An edge computing master will be responsible for reworking a company’s current Internet infrastructure into a decentralized infrastructure with edge computing. This will be necessary because the processing capacity of a company’s massive amounts of data will be increased. The Edge Computing master continues to define the company’s roadmap for the Internet of Things, calculates the technical requirements and evaluates the feasibility of setting up an edge processing unit from a return perspective.
Consultants, coaches, mediators and ethics officers
Many jobs outside of the IT industry that will become more relevant in the future have something in common: They are all largely in the area of ​​consulting or coaching. It is often about optimization and ethics. Although robots and AIs can bring improvements in this area, human workers are still better at penetrating certain things. In addition, empathy and warmth are necessary in consultations – properties that machines (still?) Do not have or cannot do as people do.
For example, more and more companies are looking for qualified employees Ethics Officer. These ensure, for example, that the distribution of company income corresponds to the standards created by customers and employees and set by an ethics committee of the company. It’s about bringing economic and ethical demands together.
Some nursing professions are also likely to be supported by machines in the future. Jobs may be lost here, but new ones will also be added. Especially when older people live alone and may be cared for by robots from home, there is still a need for social contacts and support. Be here Interlocutor/ Everyday companion or Crosslinker wanted by man and machine etc. to help the older ones to switch to the new situation. It is not yet possible to say which professional titles will apply to this. What is certain, however, is that there will definitely be an increased need in this area.
Other examples of professions that may become more important in the future:
- Smart fitness consultant
- Online psychologist
- E-commerce manager
- Environment and resource manager
- Cyber ​​security experts
- AI Business Development Manager
- Cyber ​​city planner
- App developer
- Supply chain manager
- Quantum machine learning analyst
- Mobile developer
- Content creator
- Augmented Reality Travel Designer
- Personal Finance Manager
- Influencer
- SEO specialists
- Conversion manager
- Cloud engineer
- 3D printing experts
- Biotechnologists
- IT trainer.
04/07/2020