Future of work: how today’s iso babies will work and learn in 2038

Futurists, researchers and training experts predict very different jobs and skills will be in demand when today’s newborns finish high school in 2038.

In about 18 years, today’s newborns – dubbed the iso babies – will be entering the workforce for the first time.

The jobs they do, the skills they need, and the way they work and learn will likely be very different.

Experts share their predictions and their advice for parents of children born amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

HOW WILL THEY WORK?

By 2038, people will work longer hours than ever before.

That’s the prediction of futurist Morris Miselowski, who has been working alongside employment marketplace SEEK to uncover future key trends.

“I’m not saying the future generations will be in the office longer hours than now,” he says.

“But due to technology advances it is harder to leave work behind.”

Miselowski predicts 60 per cent of the population will also be working in more than one role.

“In the past, the social norm was to have one job, whereas our children will soon have a number of jobs at any given time,” he says.

“By 2038, our children will be planning for 80-plus years of career and 100-plus years of life.”

Hayley Learman with son Finnlay, who is getting in some early study and wondering what the world of work will be like when he leaves school. Picture: John Gass

WHAT JOBS WILL THEY DO?

Miselowski expects many future jobs will be focused on food creation as the population continues to grow and the world must find new ways to keep up with demand for food.

“Roles in this industry will include 4D-printed food technician, cultured meat scientist, synthetic food designer, food-as-medicine nutritionist and food bank logistic officer,” he says.

The futurist also forecasts jobs in the energy sector will develop as society becomes more energy efficient and jobs in transport and logistics will increase as people change the way they get around.

“Owning a car and having a driver’s licence will not be the norm for a teenager in 2038,” he says.

“Instead, they’ll expect their tech to autonomously organise a ride share, hire them a bike, book and pay for public transport, provide walking directions or provide options on how to get there.”

The largest increase in jobs, however, is expected in health.

“As we are living for longer, there is going to be a shift in the typical health practices, and the focus will be on wellness and self care jobs, along with new technology advances in these areas,” he says.

Futurist Morris Miselowski predicts many future jobs will focus on food creation. Picture: Supplied

Miselowski does not predict any industries will disappear altogether, but expects a significant decrease in physical and manual jobs as well as administrative jobs such as bookkeeping, filing roles and clerks.

“These types of routine jobs will no longer be required to be done by humans,” he says.

Futurist Michael McQueen, who was key note speaker at the Professional Speakers Australia convention this month, says artificial intelligence is already taking over a lot of functions in law and accounting.

He says the jobs that won’t be affected will be those that require resilience, creativity and the ability to negotiate.

WHICH SKILLS WILL BE NEEDED?

Miselowski says the human skills that will be most important for today’s iso babies are communication, empathy, imagination, creativity, wisdom and the ability to collaborate with others.

But human skills will not be the only skills in demand.

A new report from AlphaBeta commissioned by Amazon Web Services (AWS) predicts the number of workers in the Asia Pacific region needing digital skills will increase more than five-fold in the next five years alone.

It finds 64 per cent of Australian workers currently apply digital skills in their job and about one in five apply “advanced” digital skills – such as the ability to customise digital solutions or create new digital tools, software and applications.

AlphaBeta managing director Dr. Fraser Thompson says people will need to think of skills in two buckets – horizontal and vertical skills.

“Horizontal skills are the ones that cut across different areas and technologies (such as) digital problem solving, digital ethics and digital project management,” he says.

“These are the no-brainers all workers will need to develop going forward.

“Vertical competencies are more technology specific (such as cloud architecture and cybersecurity) and more likely to change.

“You’ll need the combination of both to be competitive in the future.”

AWS is addressing Australia’s demand for cloud and digital skills through initiatives such as AWS re/Start, which prepares unemployed and underemployed people for careers in cloud computing and connects them to potential employers; and through its free, on-demand courses in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity and project management via online training platform Skill Finder.

Digital-savvy workers are set to be in high demand. Picture: iStock

HOW WILL THEY LEARN?

Thompson says there will be increased acceptance of lifelong learning in the future.

“Roughly 80 per cent of our learning happens before age 21, which is crazy,” he says.

“We have 21 years where we build our human capital then we spend that human capital the rest of our careers.

“It doesn’t make sense especially now, considering our increasing lifespan and time in the workforce.”

Thompson says the average Australian worker right now will have to gain seven new digital skills over the next five years, so microcredentials and modular training – short courses in specific skills and technologies – will become crucial.

Mobile training platform EdApp chief executive Darren Winterford says workplace training will also becoming increasingly mobile.

“The idea of sitting in a training room for hours on end, or even learning at your desk, will soon feel antiquated,” he says.

“(People want) mobile-first experiences that are easy to access, and engaging content that ensures learning is retained.

“This requires modern learning techniques like gamification and spaced repetition.

“The changes we’ve seen during the past year are resonating with younger workers who spend time on TikTok and Instagram.”

Brisbane’s Hayley Learman, 30, says her 10-week-old son Finnlay will likely have an education and career that is very different to hers.

She has not yet considered what he might be when he grows up, but plans to encourage him and his brother Archer, 2, to follow in their father Ricky’s engineering and project management footsteps.

“We will just make sure they are across everything and make sure they learn whatever is relevant for their generation,” she says.

Futurist and PSA member Michael McQueen says today’s newborns will need creativity and imagination for future career success. Picture: Supplied/Melinda Hird Photography

QUALITIES TO INSTIL IN ISO BABIES IN THE COMING YEARS

SOURCE: Futurist and Professional Speakers Australia former national president Michael McQueen

Capacity for calm and confidence

Every message since COVID has been “Be careful, don’t touch” as they are wired to think it’s a dangerous place. How do we combat that once the danger has passed?

Connection with nature

As we are increasingly urbanised, we need that connection with nature and supply chains – rediscovering where food comes from and how farming and agriculture works.

Creativity and imagination

When you have got artificial intelligence, a lot more of the transactional work is being done by technology, but what the tech can’t do is think creatively. Humans create, think, and ask questions and that’s the most important skill anyone will need.

Financial skills

Scott Pape has always been a fan of kids learning to save with physical money but in the last 12 months most of us haven’t been using cash. For this generation, everything is tap and go. We need to make sure children think of money as a physical and tangible thing.

Empathy and body language skills

Particularly in a virtual environment with remote learning and work, getting a sense of what another person is thinking and communicating is a skill people will need even more.

Ability to make small talk

These days, communication has a digital filter so you don’t have the nuances of pleasantries when talking on the phone and face-to-face – but it’s so important. Recruiters admit a person does or doesn’t get a job well before the first question is asked. They are looking to see: can they hold a conversation and maintain eye contact.