2021: Job skills you need -- and should teach your kids

Even if you’ve been living under a rock (or more likely, locked down in an apartment or home) for the past 18 months or so, you’ll know the world of work is not what it used to be. It’s constantly pivoting and shifting focus -- and since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, more so than ever.

With continued digitization, the advent of remote work, and ever-looming ‘hard’ lockdown threats, two clear employability patterns have emerged:

Digital savviness and connectivity

  • A need to build skills that focus on utilizing or developing digital platforms (even pre-Covid-19, this trend was obvious)

So-called soft skills taking center stage

A need to build communication skills and develop emotional tools including resilience, empathy adaptability and a sense of curiosity (because people feel disconnected and anxious) is crucial to doing business, post-pandemic. It is imperative to stay cognizant of these trends to guide our children accordingly. Prepare them to think creatively, seek out opportunities and think on their feet. The ability to adapt to change, and do so quickly, is key.

Cultivate a learning mindset or pay the price

a learning mindset that:

  • anticipates change
  • rolls with punches
  • develops great communication skills (verbal and written)
  • knows how to use digital apps, smartphones, tablets, or computers (to generate work for yourself and/or others) means you’ll probably be able to earn a decent living going forward.

But, it’s not all that simple…

Job watch 2021 and beyond: employment sector growth areas

The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently released its “Future of Jobs” 2020 report (see link below), with data gathered in collaboration with LinkedIn and Coursera, which found that:

  • By 2025, an estimated 85 million jobs could be displaced due to labor divisions between machines (mostly AI, machine automation, and robots) and humans.
  • An estimated 97 million new roles could emerge to counterbalance these job losses – jobs that utilize the above-mentioned skills sets.

10 key employment growth sectors

According to the WEF’s 2020 report, the biggest employment potential lies in specialization in the following sectors and industries:

  1. Data analytics
  2. Big data specific skills
  3. AI and machine learning
  4. Digital marketing
  5. Digital transformation
  6. Process automation
  7. Information security
  8. Software/app development
  9. Internet of Things (IoT)
  10. Business development

Job types that will eventually become obsolete

It is forecasted that with continued automation, AI, and machine learning trends, the following jobs will eventually be phased out:

  1. Secretaries, stocktake, and admin staff
  2. Data entry clerks
  3. Auditors, accountants, and bookkeepers
  4. Assembly and factory workers
  5. Mechanics and machine repairers

Connectivity: the golden key?

Internet access and fast connectivity are becoming more important by the day, whether for online learning, virtual meetings, or e-commerce. Without bandwidth, modern students, scholars, and workers will suffer and get left behind.

Read more on how to protect people and job security here.

Read the WEF’s full Future of Jobs report here.