Category: Employment

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AI, Analysis, Employment, Robotics, Science & Technology News

Future of jobs 2018 – Reports- World Economic Forum

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Strategic Drivers of New Business Models

As the Fourth Industrial Revolution unfolds, companies are seeking to harness new and emerging technologies to reach higher levels of efficiency of production and consumption, expand into new markets, and compete on new products for a global consumer base composed increasingly of digital natives. More and more, employers are therefore also seeking workers with new skills from further afield to retain a competitive edge for their enterprises and expand their workforce productivity. Some workers are experiencing rapidly expanding opportunities in a variety of new and emerging job roles, while others are experiencing a rapidly declining outlook in a range of job roles traditionally considered ‘safe bets’ and gateways to a lifetime career.

Even as technological advancements pose challenges to existing business models and practices, over the coming years, these same dynamics of technological change are set to become the primary drivers of opportunities for new growth. For example, based on one recent estimate, even a somewhat moderately paced rollout of new automation technologies over the next 10 to 20 years would lead to an investment surge of up to US$8 trillion in the United States alone.

Continue reading… “Future of jobs 2018 – Reports- World Economic Forum”

Children, Education, Employment, Future, Science & Technology News

These are the skills that your kids will need for the future (Hint: It’s not coding)

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The jobs of the future will involve humans collaborating with other humans to design work for machines, and value will shift from cognitive to social skills.

An education is supposed to prepare you for the future. Traditionally, that meant learning certain facts and skills, like when Columbus discovered America or how to do multiplication and long division. Today, curriculums have shifted to focus on a more global and digital world, like cultural history, basic computer skills, and writing code.

Yet the challenges that our kids will face will be much different from those we faced growing up and many of the things a typical student learns in school today will no longer be relevant by the time he or she graduates college. In fact, a study at the University of Oxford found that 47 percent of today’s jobs will be eliminated over the next 20 years.

Continue reading… “These are the skills that your kids will need for the future (Hint: It’s not coding)”

Analysis, Employment, Latest Trend, New Viewpoints

Four-day work week to be made permanent after company finds ‘no downside’

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A four-day work week will be made permanent at a New Zealand company after a trial was so successful it found there was ‘no downside’. Staff reported better productivity, a better work-life balance and lower stress levels after working four eight-hour days a week for two months.

The trial at Perpetual Guardian – a financial services firm that manages trusts, wills and estates – involved almost 250 employees across 16 offices.

Staff reported a better work/life balance, having more energy and improved mental health (Picture: Getty)

They worked four days equalling 32 working hours instead of 40 across the week – but were still paid for five days.

Founder of the Auckland-based company, Andrew Barnes, said there was ‘no downside’ to the new system and that staff reported reaping the benefits of extra downtime.

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Analysis, Employment, Latest Trend

Report: Millennials, Boomers prefer flexible work schedules

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BOULDER – A new report from FlexJobs shows Millennials, Baby Boomers and other workers place a high value on job flexibility.

Based on responses from more than 3,000 workers in an August survey, the report revealed that work flexibility was very important to all groups.

“Although the generations are interested in work flexibility for different reasons, one thing is clear: they all place a high value on work flexibility, with particular emphasis on telecommuting options,” said Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs.

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Business, Employment, Future, Science & Technology News

World Economic Forum- The future of jobs

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Key Findings

As technological breakthroughs rapidly shift the frontier between the work tasks performed by humans and those performed by machines and algorithms, global labour markets are undergoing major transformations. These transformations, if managed wisely, could lead to a new age of good work, good jobs and improved quality of life for all, but if managed poorly, pose the risk of widening skills gaps, greater inequality and broader polarization.

As the Fourth Industrial Revolution unfolds, companies are seeking to harness new and emerging technologies to reach higher levels of efficiency of production and consumption, expand into new markets, and compete on new products for a global consumer base composed increasingly of digital natives. Yet in order to harness the transformative potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, business leaders across all industries and regions will increasingly be called upon to formulate a comprehensive workforce strategy ready to meet the challenges of this new era of accelerating change and innovation.

NOTE: Read Futurist Thomas Frey’s column on “Future of Work: The New Age of Employment” here.

Continue reading… “World Economic Forum- The future of jobs”

Business, Employment, New Viewpoints

What happens when you let employees pick how much they want to be paid? This company decided to find out.

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Smarkets CEO Jason Trost lets employees pick how much they want to get paid. Smarkets

Smarkets, a betting startup based in London, lets employees pick how much they want to get paid.

The system works through social consensus, and each employee’s salary information is published in the company’s internal wiki.

There are pros and cons to the process, but ultimately it works, Smarkets CEO Jason Trost said.

Continue reading… “What happens when you let employees pick how much they want to be paid? This company decided to find out.”

Analysis, Business, Employment, Higher Education, Money Talk

Survey: These college majors were just named most and least valuable

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New Bankrate research shows that Actuarial Science is “the most valuable” major you can study in college out of 162 total, with a whopping average income of $108,658 to go along with an unemployment rate of only 2.3%.

Wondering how the site arrived at these results? The methodology was multi-layered, but the company evaluated the latest information featured in the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, among other points. The majors had “labor forces of at least 15,000 people,” and the number of grads with “a higher degree” was also considered.

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Business, Employment, Human Behavior, Science & Technology News

Over 9 out of 10 people are ready to take orders from robots

If you are unhappy taking orders from your human boss, you might be more inclined to take orders from robots, according to a new survey.

The AI, machine learning, and data science conundrum: Who will manage the algorithms?

There seems to be a large gap between the way people are using artificial intelligence (AI) at home and at work. Although almost three quarters of us use AI in our personal life, only six percent of HR professionals are deploying AI and only one in four (24 percent) of employees are currently using some form of AI at work.

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Automation, Electric Vehicles, Employment, Transportation

Autonomous driving will support, not displace truckers, study says

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Autonomous trucks have been in the development stage for the last few years.

DETROIT — It’s been long speculated that autonomous driving technology will widely displace one of the most common jobs in the U.S., truck drivers.

Goldman Sachs, for instance, predicts that as autonomous vehicle technology peaks, as many as 25,000 trucker jobs could be eliminated per month or about 300,000 annually. But a new workforce study from the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township is saying: Hit the brakes.

The study, commissioned by ACM and led by Michigan State University and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, concludes that automated technology will “largely support truck drivers instead of replacing them” for the next decade.

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Apple, Employment, Google, IBM

Apple HR couldn’t care less if you have a college degree

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You can get hired at Apple even without a fancy piece of paper telling people you got a lot of book learning.

The traditional life plan includes four years of college then a good job. But not everyone takes this path, and sometimes the lack of a college degree keeps some people from getting a job they are otherwise qualified for. But not at Apple.

Following a non-traditional career path is no problem getting hired at Apple. And that goes for positions beyond working at its retail stores.

Continue reading… “Apple HR couldn’t care less if you have a college degree”

Analysis, Business, Employment

Remote workers are outperforming office workers—Here’s why

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Research shows that office workers cannot concentrate at their desks.

Have you seen any of these gimmicky office designs? Candy dispensers in conference rooms. Hammocks and indoor treehouses. Tech companies tend to be the worst offenders with the startup favorites: beer taps and table tennis.

Maybe there is fun for a moment when the candy bar drops — but does all that money spent on gimmicks deliver anything meaningful for the people who work there?

Continue reading… “Remote workers are outperforming office workers—Here’s why”

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