Business First September 2017 Business First September 2017 | Page 34

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Your children ’ s jobs haven ’ t been

by Janette Jones ,

invented yet PwC Tax Partner

ighty­five per cent of the jobs that will exist 2030 haven ’ t even been

Einvented yet , according to a report published just a month ago by Dell Technologies and the Institute for the Future ( IFTF ).

And , that means that workers entering the labour market today need to be thinking – not about what they ’ ll be doing 30 years from now , but what they ’ ll be doing in the next ten – or even five years .
The pace of technology is so intense and change is so rapid that people will find themselves learning in real time and ‘ in the moment ’ using new tech tools like Augmented Reality ( AR ) and Virtual Reality ( VR ).
For tomorrow ’ s workers , the ability to gain new knowledge may become more valuable than the knowledge itself , but it ’ s not just workers that face change .
Companies and governments will have to reimagine the possible and stay one step ahead ; disrupt themselves before they ’ re disrupted ; and remain optimistic about the opportunities of this brave new world .
In PwC we ’ ve been getting ahead of the curve , disrupting ourselves and challenging our historic perception as accountants , tax advisors and consultants .
Our response is a programme of Changing Times , which embraces two interlocking factors – New Frontiers and New Landscapes – and is intended to position the firm and its people at the heart of emerging technology .
Recently we had 90 schoolchildren in ‘ The Hive ’ – the collaborative space in Waterfront Plaza that houses our Google Lab – when we asked them what we do , no­one mentioned accounting , or tax or audit .
Instead , they offered coding , technology , app­design and even gaming as their perception of what we do ; probably because they had just completed a ‘ Hive Hackers ’ programme where we help six to ten­yearolds to code and design simple computer games .
Working with schools to prompt an active involvement in coding hopefully plays to an interest in technology which , in turn , should stimulate a greater take­up in STEM subjects and a workforce better­equipped for a world of New Frontiers where technology is both Jekyll and Hyde .
Our recent report , “ Will robots steal our jobs ,” suggests that tomorrow ’ s New Frontier can learn from yesterday ’ s experience . The Luddite movement of the early 19th Century , saw skilled weavers challenge the mechanisation of the textile industry , where
32 www . businessfirstonline . co . uk the outcome was many more jobs – albeit different and less skilled – the productivity gains from mechanisation created immense new wealth .
Artificial Intelligence ( AI ), Augmented Reality , Virtual Reality , Blockchain , 3D printing , robotics and the component elements of disruptive technology are set to wipe­out a swathe of jobs – and replace them with new jobs that don ’ t yet exist .
According to a Fast Company report they could range from 3D printing technicians and un­schooling councillors to microbial managers and digital­detox advisors .
Add some New Landscapes to the mix and things become even more interesting : how will Brexit play­out for Northern Ireland companies , where will the border be and how ‘ hard ’ or ‘ soft ’ might it be – or will the border even matter for some industries ?
Imagine if the “ gig economy ,” evolves to one where companies send out tasks to be completed , then use information technology to match the tasks with people who have the necessary skills to complete them . In that new landscape , technology can unbundle the ties between work and geography , making work truly global .
When it comes to the processes that enable this new landscape , PwC has identified the “ Essential Eight ” emerging technologies – AI , AR , Blockchain , Drones , The Internet of Things ( IoT ), Robots , VR , 3D Printing – that every business should be considering and developing innovation strategies around .
Each of these has the potential to open New Frontiers and influence the New Landscapes creating a situation where PwC believes that 3D Printing can change some elements of manufacturing from ‘ Made in China ’ to ‘ printed where and when it ’ s needed ’ and create a service industry where instead of expecting workers to bear the brunt of finding work , work will compete for the best resource to complete the job .
These are indeed changing times , but they are changing more rapidly and more fundamentally than most businesses can conceive .
Keeping up may just hack it , but keeping ahead is where every business and every worker should aspire to be .