While educators know times are changing the skills necessary for students to master, we need to know why these skills are so important and what makes the skills vital for students’ futures. Not only will our students become “cloud engineers” or “growth hackers,” but they will also need to know skills vastly different from our current set of learning standards (Irving, 2022). With this comes the future workforce and what it means for the classroom today. So let’s take a look at growing careers, decreasing jobs, and what this means for student skills.
Trends in Jobs and Careers
As generative AI is included in the workplace, meaning AI is used for sifting through an extensive amount of data, many of the one-stable jobs are now decreasing. These include “food service, customer service, office support, and production” as well as traditional security and factory roles (Ellingrud et. al, 2023; The World Economic Forum, 2023). Instead, we’re witnessing the emergence of new sectors and roles that demand expertise in AI and technological fluency. The following provides insight into what The World Economic Forum highlights as the fastest-growing roles and industries experiencing large-scale growth.
Fastest Growing Jobs |
Industries of Large-Scale Growth |
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Adapted from The World Economic Forum, 2023
Upskilling and Adaptability
Furthermore, the above roles reflect a changing value in the job market. While previous generations focused on remaining at companies for many years, the Millennial generation is more prone to switching jobs or being open to new job opportunities (Adkins 2023). information shared by recent Gallup polls. This is important because it sets the stage for our newest generation of workers and current students, Gen Z, to bring in their generational values which include the expectation for companies to incorporate upskilling as a part of their ongoing training and be willing to adopt new technologies as they arise (Parker, 2023). This is indeed the direction necessary for workforce development, that future employees will be hiring not for credentials but rather for skills and competencies while delivering ongoing training vital to their evolving roles (Ellingrud et. al, 2023).
Evolving Skills
So what does this mean for the skills learners today must have to succeed in a paradoxical workforce that both exists and is being created? While literacy, math, and science remain fundamental, they must be taught with a forward-thinking approach. In an era where AI and chatbots can assist with writing papers, students still need to grasp core subjects to navigate the complexities of the future job market. These foundational skills are indispensable, but must also be paired with concepts such as “teamwork, critical thinking, communication, persistence, and creativity” because students must be ready to adapt to new learning in a fast-paced environment (McGivney and Winthrop 2016). These are just some of the skills also highlighted in the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Future of Jobs Report.
The Bottom Line
As we think about these evolving roles and the job market, we must take into consideration the types of skills our students need today to successfully lead our global economy and community into the future. For years now, the business sector has shared the need for new employees to be better prepared to match the skills necessary for job applications. Check out our next blog post to uncover some of the essential skills vital to support our current students to be successful in the future they are receiving.
REFERENCES:
Adkins, A. (2016, May 12). Millennials: The Job-Hopping Generation. Gallup.com; Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/231587/millennials-job-hopping-generation.aspx
Ellingrud, K., Sanghvi, S., Singh Dandona, G., Madgavkar, A., Chui, M., White, O., & Hasebe, P. (2023, July 26). Generative AI and the future of work in America | McKinsey. Www.mckinsey.com. https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/generative-ai-and-the-future-of-work-in-america
“For Gen Z Employees, Loyalty Is a Two-Way Street.” The Leadership Agenda, PwC, 2023, www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/c-suite-insights/the-leadership-agenda/for-gen-z-employees-loyalty-is-a-two-way-street.html
Irving, D. (2022, March 1). The Digital Skills Gap: What Workers Need for the Jobs of the Future [Review of The Digital Skills Gap: What Workers Need for the Jobs of the Future]. Rand. https://www.rand.org/pubs/articles/2022/the-digital-skills-gap-what-workers-need-for-the-jobs.html
McGivney, E., & Winthrop, R. (2016, May 19). Skills for a changing world: Advancing quality learning for vibrant societies. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/skills-for-a-changing-world/
World Economic Forum. (2023). Future of Jobs Report 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2023.pdf