THIS YEAR’S EDITION of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the 55th annual gathering of heads of government, bureaucrats, technocrats and business leaders from around the world, started on Monday.
Participants at the gathering in Switzerland’s mountain hamlet of Davos-Klosters will again have an opportunity to interact with celebrities, socialites and pop stars invited to enrich the event.
Many view WEF annual meetings as a talk shop for politicians, corporate leaders and the rich and famous, with lots of grand-standing, playing to the gallery and media, shoulder rubbing with celebrities, fine dining and socialising at the expense of taxpayers or shareholders.
To coincide with this year’s gathering, the WEF has as usual released its ‘Global Risk’ and other interesting reports which are source documents for discussions and debate by participants.
This year’s ‘Future of Jobs’ report has attracted widespread attention.
Reportedly jobs in decline include postal services workers and bank tellers.
Unsurprisingly, business and private communication went electronic years ago.
I haven’t cleared my mailbox for ages, because when I do, it is either empty or filled with junk mail and I cannot recall when last I was inside a post office.
The same applies to banking, where transactions are done electronically with no human interaction – only with devices and machines.
Technology-related jobs are among the fastest growing, the WEF reports.
An interesting development in South Africa, however, is the increasing number of firms that no longer see degrees as requirementst for certain jobs.
As a panellist pointed out in a television debate, the requirement to have a degree was abolished ages ago at Japan’s space agency.
A prospective employee must demonstrate an aptitude, display keen interest, and the desire to learn.
The WEF predicts that front-line jobs will increase rapidly.
This includes farm and construction workers, delivery drivers, sales people and positions in the food-processing industry.
As a result of growing demand in the care sector, nurses, teachers, social workers, counselling professionals and personal caregivers will be in high demand soon.
The future of jobs is well documented in the WEF’s report and by those who have analysed its content from front to back, but a question that begs an answer is: What about the future of work?
The future of work refers to entrepreneurs and employers gaining an informed understanding of how work will change due to digitalisation and changing trends.
Changes related to working hours and the workplace that are already popular include replacing eight-to-five jobs, and working remotely or in a hybrid form.
Other changes include service and fixed-time employment agreements replacing open-ended employment contracts or working for one employer until you retire.
Monthly salaries are replaced by task-related or commission-based remuneration.
The future of jobs can be determined with a degree of certainty, but how the future of work would affect employer-employee relationships certainly needs more attention.
- Danny Meyer is reachable at danny@smecompete.com
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