The Changing Face of Work

Until the 19th century, there was a fairly good chance that a young man would follow in his
father’s footsteps and work in the same profession or trade. If the plan was to become a doctor,
lawyer or engineer, he would simply take the necessary subjects at university. If he was planning
to do manual work, as a builder, miner or factory worker for example, he would learn through
practical experience. As the 20th century progressed, both men and women moved to cities to
find work, in industries such as advertising, banking and retail. They may have started at a
company at age 17 and probably wouldn’t have left until they retired at 60 or 65. Now, in the
21st century, new technology is being developed all the time, and it is having a dramatic effect
on the kind of jobs people do and the ways in which they work. The speed of change is so great
that it is almost impossible to predict how people’s careers may develop 20 years from now.

Many people are optimistic about these changes. Patrick Carter, educational consultant at City
University, looks forward to a world where the types of jobs people do will be more rewarding
than ever before: ‘Think of the jobs many people have been forced to do throughout history that
were poorly paid and caused illness or injury,’ he says. ‘People look back and say “the old days”
were great, but they forget how difficult life was for many employees in factories, who often had
to do the same task again and again, for ten or more hours a day.’ Carter feels that the use of
robots to build and make products can only bring positive change. However, not everyone shares
this kind of optimism. Adrian Gates, a human resources consultant at Pro-Com Enterprises,
points out that, as new technologies replace humans, there will be a huge decrease in the demand
for employees: ‘Jobs for accountants and retail workers, for example, will disappear. History
proves that employers are willing to lose workers in order to make as much money as possible.
And some of those employees will find it very difficult to retrain for a completely different
career.’

Carter thinks differently: ‘If we introduce more automation, we don’t have to pay wages to so
many employees,’ he explains, ‘and then we will have more money to invest in further learning
and training for more people, so that they can qualify for jobs they really want to do.’ So will
there still be enough jobs for people if robots replace human workers? Joanna Harding, a lecturer
in music technology at Mapplethorpe University, makes an interesting point about job creation
and loss: ‘Recent developments in technology mean we can all listen to music when and where
we want. Certainly, these developments have created jobs for people in the digital music
industry, especially in engineering and in factories,’ she says. ‘However, those same
developments have unfortunately caused huge job losses in the traditional music industry. It’s
this kind of dramatic change we often find hard to imagine.’ Harding explains that because of the
digital music industry, and the fact that millions of people download music illegally, many
record companies can no longer afford to pay songwriters, producers, technicians and marketing
teams. ‘A large number of people download music illegally just because everyone else seems to
be doing it – but really, they ought to consider what consequences their selfish actions could
have on other people, in this case, loss of employment.’

However, many large corporations have been created in the last 20 years because of the
existence of the internet. It is the internet that allows them to sell their apps or online services as
downloads. Professor of Sociology, Sara Millington, researches employment at these massive
internet-based companies. ‘They make enormous profits but employ few people, and thousands
of applicants hope to get the same few jobs,’ she says. ‘If you decide to apply, you need to have
the right skills and qualifications, but you also need to have the exact qualities they are looking
for,’ she says. ‘More and more companies are interviewing people to find out if they have the
kind of character that fits in with their company culture – and this trend is going to continue.’

The way that people work is also likely to change. Nadia Campbell, who works for the
Independent Professionals Group, can see this trend already developing. ‘Many people no longer
want to do a nine-to-five job every day. And in the future, they will want even more flexibility in
regards to the hours they work, and with the place they choose to work from,’ she says. ‘The idea
of working for one boss will become less and less attractive, as more people decide that working
for themselves, and from home, is the better option.’ New technology might mean new types of
jobs, but it is also likely that certain ‘older’ jobs will have to evolve to suit future needs. A recent
study from researchers in Finland concluded that ‘many of these jobs won’t disappear
completely … they will move into new environments, such as into outer space – where we still
need people to take care of waste, the health of astronauts and some kinds of construction work.’
Although change in the types of work we will do is causing anxiety for many, it must be
remembered that the generation that controls much of the workforce, people now in their fifties
and sixties, may retire in the next ten to fifteen years.

Jack McCaw, a researcher for Career magazine suggests that the next few generations will have
a completely different experience of work: ‘In the year 2020, 50% of the US workforce will be
people born after the year 2000. These people know how to connect to others, learn and work
together in a digital way. They are used to working from anywhere and using digital tools to
complete all sorts of tasks. Most organizations today will welcome and value them as they have
the knowledge and skills they need.’ These are exactly the kind of people now taking Joanna
Harding’s music technology course. She knows that some of the things she is teaching them now
may not be very useful in ten years’ time, as the technology will be completely different.

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