The Skills You’ll Need for 2025 and Beyond

Better late than never but never late is better

Drake

Growing up the way I did, my imagination was set free early in life. I drew a lot inspiration from Saturday morning cartoons like Johnny Quest, Underdog, Fat Albert, and, of course, the Jetsons. As a result, I used to sit around drawing mazes, creating cartoon characters, and designing imaginative flying machines of the future. As I got older, I started dreaming up creative ways to do good like clean the exhaust from big rigs. I was never quite was in a position to have the access or ability to do any of the things I dreamt like developing a Saturday morning cartoon or becoming a chemical engineer.

Fast forward to today, I live in the middle of a world where imagination is possible and where access to resources is greater than ever before. We have all heard someone say…“ I couldn’t have imagined what we have today.” I suspect we’ll be saying this for decades to come – all because the world is continually evolving with the latest technology which is incessantly changing the way we live and work.

As companies continue to drive the changes, there are revolutions in the workplace and in communities. For the millions of communities worldwide, knowing and, more importantly, acquiring the skills needed for the future is crucial to success in the years ahead. Given that fact, let’s explore the skills which will be indispensable for the year 2025 and beyond.

While many communities have already adopted positions of life-long learning, those who have not will likely be left behind. Some communities, especially those in under-served or under-represented areas, already find themselves behind the curve, needing retraining, reskilling, or upskilling to succeed in the workplace of the future. Cities have a responsibility to work alongside businesses and organizations to create pathways which make developmental opportunities available to all of their citizens. Likewise, small businesses and school systems able to pivot and meet the demands will be the ones who come out on top and avoid transformation, growth, and management difficulties down the road.

Cities looking to improve their standing in this new innovative economy should be setting forth a bold vision dictated by emerging industries. All the while making sure communities are considered at the beginning, with a unified forward thinking vision including consideration for developing a workforce agile like businesses. In my most recent role, we rolled out the Sacramento Urban Technology Lab framework based on the Triple Helix and focused on seven sectors connected to promote life-long learning.

I’m not saying what I have proposed is 100 percent right, but I do know the most common jobs of today will be gone in a decade. I know there are jobs that haven’t been created yet. The gap in the access to opportunities provided by life-long learning is widening. If we don’t embrace change, black and brown communities in particular, will continue to fall further behind. We have to look at those communities for the hidden talents to meet the ever growing needs of the companies which are turning to temporary staffing services, professional freelancers, and outside contractors to get the job done in areas their current team members fall short. The trend will only continue for those businesses who fail to take a proactive and preemptive approach in planning and providing retraining, reskilling, and upskilling to its employees.

Here’s the issue, while today’s emerging careers will increase nearly 30 percent in the coming years, the professions which will likely become obsolete as a result of new technologies are currently estimated to decrease by 20 percent. Even so, it still doesn’t factor in the millions of occupations which could be supplanted as the division labor alters amid the global workforce which now includes not only humans, but robots, algorithms, and machines. Businesses will need skilled professionals to fill the new positions, which means both companies and communities should proactively work together now so those facing job obsolescence as well as the new wave of graduates are ready to take on the challenges.

You’ve probably already guessed the growing professions include social media specialists, data analysts, along with E-commerce specialists and software/applications developers. But you may find it a surprise that other careers poised for significant growth include ‘human’ roles like People and Culture Specialists, Customer Service Pros, Innovation Experts, and Sales, Marketing, and Training Professionals. Communities around the world have the human resources, though many lack the skills needed and that is where a proactive and preemptive approach by companies and communities in retraining, reskilling, and upskilling comes into play.

Back in the ‘old days’ humans had to only compete with one another for jobs, and maybe the occasional ox or ass. Then along came the First Industrial Revolution, exploiting the power of water and steam, and everything changed. The Second and Third Industrial Revolutions brought electricity and digitization. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which many believe is upon us, showcases technology that truly blurs the lines of humanity and boasts AI (artificial intelligence), robotics, nanotech, and more. This current revolution means a major alteration in the division of labor which promises to change the face of the workforce in companies and communities around the world.

Currently, most of the world’s work is done by humans, upwards of 70 percent. The remainder is handled by algorithms and machines, including early iterations of robots. The current estimation is a phenomenal shift by the year 2025, which will increase the work performed by robots, machines, and algorithms to between 40 and 50 percent or more. No, it’s not likely the beginning of the rise of “Skynet” but it does mean a considerable expansion of tasks taken over by robots, machines, and algorithms. As businesses adopt new technologies like AI, cloud technology, quantum computing, and more – machine learning, robotic technologies, and virtual reality will be on the rise. Industry adoption of robots is coming with humanoid robots likely in the world of finance; stationary and android robotics in the auto, aerospace, and supply chain realms; and aerial and underwater robotics in the oil and gas industry.

It is estimated the changing skill sets for most occupations will experience a shift of upwards of 40 percent by 2025. If businesses, with the help of communities, fail to prepare for the shift, companies will face a shortfall in the workplace from a workforce who has not been equipped for the future. Knowing the growing areas of workplace skills include analytical thinking and innovation, technology design and programming, systems analysis and evaluation as well as human skills like critical thinking, complex problem solving, creativity, emotional intelligence, negotiation, and attention to detail, communities must encourage and enable life-long learning to move forward as industry emerges.

Those who don’t take the initiative through schools and businesses to retrain, reskill, and upskill its citizens will face growth and management complications well into the future. Communities that accept the challenge now, creating innovative life-long learning opportunities for their citizens, will be the cities which emerge successfully in the future, prepared for the next wave of innovation – and the Industrial Revolution to come.