Life is a blast when you know what you’re doin’
Best to know what you’re doin’ ‘fore your life get ruined
Life is a thrill when your skill is developed
If you ain’t got a skill or trade, then shut the h*** upHieroglyphics
As we enter the new decade and speed toward 2025, cities must be more comfortable as they look forward regarding talent development for the future. Cities, with the future of their citizenry in mind, must focus on indirect job creation developed by signature projects to ensure their communities are ready for the jobs of the future. To see the future of the job market, you’ll need a bit of imagination and a knowledge of the resources available now as well those in development, along with the skills which will come into play in the future. Many of the jobs for 2025 don’t exist in the present but are coming quickly in the not-so-distant future as businesses drive changes, revolution is coming in the workplace and in the communities which they support.
Skills Needed for the Jobs of 2025
The jobs for 2025 will require unique skills for those hoping to achieve success in the future and beyond. Communities and their citizens must adopt a position as life-long learners who seek retraining, reskilling, and upskilling in order to be prepared for the jobs of the future. In order to accomplish this task, cities as well as businesses, must make developmental and learning opportunities available for all. It is not unlike the Sacramento Urban Technology Lab (SUTL) framework in which we set the city’s focus on economic innovation where academia, industry, and government collaborate in seven areas to promote life-long learning. These areas include Mobility, Clean Technology and Sustainability, Health IT and Life Science, Food Systems, Internet of Things (IoT) and Cybersecurity, Government (Policy) and Civic Technology, and Workforce Development, all of which point and prepare us toward the jobs of 2025 and beyond.
A Positive Outlook
As jobs and industries continue to evolve, changes are coming, but we can be prepared. Even as jobs become obsolete, and new jobs emerge amid new technologies, the global workforce must be trained to have the skills to take on the challenges of the future. If you haven’t guessed yet, professions of the future will likely include cyber security auditors and robotic process automation (RPA) techs, social media and e-commerce specialists, data analysts and software developers, but we will also need customer service professionals, innovation strategists, sales and marketing professionals, and culture specialists. As we rapidly approach the Fourth Industrial Revolution will blur the lines of humanity and technology further as AI, robotics, and nanotech become more commonplace. The division of labor will be altered as machines, algorithms, and robots take on up to 50 percent or more of the world’s work. Humans in the jobs of 2025 will need new skills including analytical and critical thinking skills, innovation, tech design, programming and systems analysis, emotional intelligence, creativity, problem solving, and more.
The Jobs of 2025 and Beyond
While there is no way to fully predict all the jobs of 2025 and beyond, we can certainly see the overarching shifts likely to take place. Here are the areas industry pundits anticipate the most growth in the years ahead:
- Technology and Computational Thinking – Certainly this area comes as no surprise, technology is the future. But what exactly is computational thinking? It is the ability to view vast amounts of data, process it, and make sense of it all. As humans, we are bombarded by streams of information daily, and that data stream is only increasing, which means our ability to manage it will be a key skill needed for the future. In terms of jobs, this looks like systems analysts, software developers, and marketing specialists as well as research analysts.
- Media Literacy and Emotional Intelligence – When it comes to emotional intelligence and social intelligence, robots don’t get it. In a world where we work virtually with individuals around the globe, emotional and social intelligence as well as cross cultural knowledge is a huge asset. Media literacy also falls into this area, understanding media platforms and having the ability to communicate well with them is also a priceless skill. Jobs in this area include customer service, sales, and marketing specialties.
- Caregiving – Caregivers holds a uniquely human position in the area of healthcare, where automation, robotics, and telemedicine are rising rapidly. The world population is growing and amid that population, people are living longer, which means an increasing need for human caregivers who have emotional and social intelligence, as well as cross cultural expertise. Jobs related to caregiving and healthcare include medical technicians, home health caregivers and aides, physical therapists, medical assistants, concierge doctors, and even veterinarians.
- Business Expertise and Adaptability – In the midst of the current gig economy, business expertise and innovation is vital. You need to know business operations and have the ability to adapt and collaborate at the project level as well. As far as jobs go in this category – it’s any job within a business environment – tech or otherwise.
- Life-Long Learning – While we’ve already broached the subject, life-long learning may be the key to future success. We’ve seen how tech changes the world in which we live almost on a daily basis and that means we’ll need to use available sources to keep abreast of the latest knowledge and skill sets to succeed. And like with the Business Expertise category, life-longing learning will apply to all job for 2025 and beyond.
In the United States, there are approximately 160 million people in the labor force watching the digital revolution rocket forward in this new decade and beyond. As we approach 2025 new skills will be needed for new jobs. With that in mind, governments, academia, and industry must get on board, ensuring the labor force is trained for the changes and challenges of the jobs of 2025 and beyond.
