By Norizzati Binti Bahsri
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a huge loss of human life around the world, and it creates an unprecedented threat to public health, food systems, and the workplace. According to the Future of Jobs Report 2020, COVID-19 has accelerated the future of jobs. A shift in the division of labour between humans and machines is expected to eliminate 85 million jobs by 2025. However, new jobs will emerge, requiring new skills and protections for workers and this is what we consider as “the jobs of tomorrow”.
The report also stated that in the rank in demand for the jobs of tomorrow, number one goes to Data Analysts and Scientists. So, what are the required skills needed for our future jobs demand? The top 5 emerging skills identified as being in high demand in Malaysia are – emotional intelligence. creativity, originality and initiative, analytical thinking and innovation, technology design and programming, and complex problem-solving.
In Malaysia, the government’s upskilling and reskilling project, introduced as part of the Economic Recovery Plan (Penjana), has boosted the drone economy, which has a lot of potential in terms of building skilled employees. There are many agencies involved, such as SOCSO, MDEC, and HRDF. This initiative is expected to equip the employees with the right skills needed by the “jobs of tomorrow”.
With these movements and revolution going on, we should be asking ourselves, ‘Am I future proof? Do I have the necessary skills to be in demand for the future?’.
Source / Reference
World Economic Forum. (2020, October). The Future of Jobs.