What consequences does the technological development have for your job situation?

My Dad has always been one of my biggest idols both personally and professionally. I just arrived home after a six week surf and work trip to Australia. I was barely home for 5 minutes before my dad handed me an article he had just written and prompted  me to read. Even though my jetlag made it hard to concentrate, the article and the topic caught my attention and it lead to an invigorating conversation that inspired me to write this article, together with my Dad. 

Technological development is one of today's greatest debates. Unfortunately, a large majority of the workforce still do not relate to the technological reality, and this fact has major consequences. 

Let's start with a thought for example. Every day you arrive at the office, fill up your cup with fresh aromatic coffee and start your computer. You do not even manage to open your mail box before you are called into your boss's office. So, you walk off to the office with excitement in your step. It is spring, the season for the yearly performance review - perhaps there is a promotion or an increase in salary waiting? Your 10th year anniversary is also coming up soon. Oh, the possibilities that could arise!

As you arrive to the office, you see that the staff manager is participating in the meeting too. You glance over the table, and you cannot believe what you are seeing. On the table is a letter of resignation... assigned to you. The shock hits you like Mike Tyson’s right hook. You cannot believe it.

Does your job exist your whole life?

It's no secret. Technology, IT systems and robots play a growing role on the labor market. First, companies invested in production facilities. Today, several companies invest in complex IT systems with the ability to run big parts of the companies automatically.

The resignation mentioned earlier is a result of the new age of technology, where for example an ordinary accounting job is suddenly threatened. After all, why would a company have a handful of bookkeepers employed if a system can send invoices automatically and handle documents for a fifth of the payroll costs?

When will this really start to matter, I don't know. Nor did the coin counter or the switchboard operator, but as you know, their common denominator is that technological development hit them brutally. Their jobs no longer exist.

One question remains. It’s whether you want to take action or simply find that the bus one day becomes self-driving. By that time, will you just acknowledge that you are done when you get your resignation letter at the station? 

What consequences do the social trends have for you? 

It requires a lot of effort and courage if you want to avoid being in a situation where you have to start from scratch, which a large portion of the current workforce is already facing. They simply haven’t been efficient enough to adapt to the new reality. 

As a society, the labor market also becomes more flexible. The number of freelancers are growing, and project employments and interim tasks are becoming increasingly common. The business community is becoming more specialised, resulting in companies hiring specialists when it is needed. This is all done with a “thanks and goodbye” when the problem is resolved or the need for them disappears.

The players know the rules of the game. A fixed price is agreed for the period, and there are no hard feelings when the task is answered to and the project is complete. This is the reality that we are rapidly moving towards.

Social trends are important for your job situation. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you have to quit your job here and now to become self-employed. However you have to think about how you can keep growing and developing your job skills in the same direction as the new trends in technology. 

The Mayor of my home town in Denmark expressed exactly this in his speech on New Year's Eve 2018. He pointed out that today's employees have to keep thinking about education from the moment they enter the labor market and all the way through to their pension. That way, individual’s are constantly geared for the technological development that is evolving faster than ever before.

The number of permanent jobs will be fewer; everything will become more flexible and project-oriented. Maybe it is about time that we reconsider the the traditional 9-5 office hours. Maybe it is time to accept the new area of co-working spaces and digital nomads, who work when they are inspired and motivated.   

In this context, may I suggest that you ask yourself: 

Does my job exist my entire working life? 

If not, then it's time to start educating yourself or making a switch to something more durable.

Prepare for the realities of everyday life

Whether you are proactively reflecting upon your business career or not, that is your choice, but the reality is clear. Many jobs today are threatened by their existence - but in light of this, multiple new jobs will appear. For example, going back 15 years ago who would have imagined seeing a job title such as Sustainability Manager, let alone knowing what that role would entail.

Hence, technological development is not only a “threat” to the labor market; it also brings plenty of inspiring new opportunities with more flexibility. In order to grab these opportunities you need to keep educating yourself and move in the same direction as the technological evolution. To prepare yourself you could take a look at: 

• Yourself - are you in possession of skills that make you attractive in a digital age?

• Your job - does your job exist your whole life, or do you have to make a change and start learning new skills?

• Your finances - do you have the financial capacity to be without a job or to start up as self-employed?

If you give this a thought, you will be geared toward and prepared for future challenges. It will also provide you with a plan B in case your current position unexpectedly gets replaced by a robot or freelance specialists. 

At the age of 51 my Dad was forced to start over completely. Fast forward to today and he is a successful business owner. Mind you, he works in a completely new field than he previously did for the first 35 years of his career. I believe this illustrates a great example that it is never too late to learn something new or develop your skills.