The shape of jobs to come

Shape of Jobs to Come predicts advances in science and technology, coupled with the expected onset of climate change, could make for career paths that are virtually unrecognisable today.

The research company Fast Future was asked by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to compile a list of jobs as part of the government’s Science: (So what? So everything) campaign, launched in 2009 to encourage a better understanding of science.

The company asked a network of “futurists and future thinkers” to consider likely science and technology developments before suggesting specific jobs. The result was a list of 110 roles, whittled down to 20 for the study.

Traditional roles within medicine and farming are expected to rely much more heavily on the use of computers and robots, while careers in social work are predicted to expand, to deal with the continuing increase in popularity of social networking sites.
Some of the most exciting developments are expected to come in medicine, where the study predicts the creation of new limbs and organs will become a reality, meaning body part makers will be in demand. Nano-medics will also be an aspirational career, with possible advances leading to the development of a nano boat, which would navigate through the body destroying cancerous cells.

Rohit Palwar, chief executive of Fast Future, predicted the generation of extra limbs would be invaluable to the military, but could see more use in sport. “If you’re spending £80m on a footballer and for £2m you can have a couple of spare legs, then you’re going to do it,” he said. “The level of medicine will probably tell you very accurately when their legs will fail, or what kind of strains they’re likely to suffer from. So you might say as a preventative measure, rather than three months’ recovery let’s have an artificial limb ready so we can replace their leg and have them back playing again within a few days or weeks.”

The team considered factors as diverse as the rise of space tourism, the risk of a deadly virus and the onset of climate change in compiling the list – three events which could lead to people working as space pilots or tour guides, quarantine enforcers and climate change reversal specialists.

Palwar said improvements in science could see new jobs created within existing fields, with insurance policies developed to cover the cost of a new leg, while cosmetic surgery could go beyond merely improving parts of a person’s body to replacing sections of it.

However, the career for life, would truly become a thing of the past, said the study. “Students coming out of university now could easily have eight to 10 jobs in their lifetime, across five different careers,” he said. “Technology is advancing so fast and industries are changing so fast that what looks like a solid job today disappears tomorrow.”

Gordon Brown said he hoped it would inspire young people to gain skills and training for these new careers. “A priority for this government is to prepare Britain for the economy of the future and to make sure our young people can seize the opportunities that innovations in science and technology will bring.”

Palwar suggested schools should concentrate on scientific subjects and improving all-round skills to equip children.

 “If I was a parent today the key thing I would want to make sure is that my kids were well versed in science and technology and were learning things like problem solving and how to make complex decisions.”