THE WORKPLACE

THERE ISN’T A FIXED FUTURE!

Fazmina Imamudeen addresses the vexed question about the future of work

Choosing what to study these days calls for an unusual kind of foresight. A student entering university today may graduate in 2030 or 2031, and join a workplace that’s shaped by technology and economic conditions that they can’t quite predict. 

Yet, many educational decisions are still based on current visible careers. Therefore, it will be more useful to find out which areas of knowledge are likely to remain valuable as the nature of work keeps changing.

AI has made that question more urgent. Headlines about technology layoffs and automation have created understandable anxiety about careers in computing and other professional fields. 

However, the evidence doesn’t suggest that AI will simply remove millions of jobs and leave nothing behind. The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates that 170 million jobs could be created globally by 2030 while 92 million may be displaced. 

But this doesn’t mean that students can simply choose any subject and expect the same opportunities. 

An important distinction lies between work that involves routine, predictable tasks and that which requires judgement, interpretation and responsibility. The more easily a task can be described as a ‘repeatable process,’ the easier it becomes to automate. This is already visible in bookkeeping, basic content production, routine coding, administrative processing and some forms of research.

It would be premature to declare that computing has no future when the need for software development, artificial intelligence specialisation, cybersecurity expertise etc. is expected to grow. 

What’s changing is the level at which people need to operate: writing routine code may become increasingly automated while understanding systems, solving unfamiliar problems and integrating technology into complex organisations will be more valuable.

Data is an area worth watching closely. 

The future is unlikely to suffer from a shortage of information but it may do so from having too much of it. Businesses will need people who can distinguish useful evidence from noise, understand probability, identify patterns and turn information into decisions. 

Accountancy and marketing are both being reshaped rather than simply eliminated. Automation can handle routine financial records and produce advertising content at extraordinary speeds, but businesses will still need people who can interpret financial information, manage risk, understand consumers, develop strategy and make decisions. 

Expertise in areas such as taxation, auditing, compliance, consumer psychology, market research and brand strategy may become more valuable.

Cybersecurity and regulation will also be important because technology is becoming more powerful. Organisations need people who understand digital threats, privacy, governance and the consequences of technological decisions. 

The expansion of AI raises questions about accountability, intellectual property, data protection and responsible use. This creates opportunities at the intersection of technology, law, business and policy.

Psychology and behavioural science are similarly easy to overlook when discussing future careers. Technology can collect enormous amounts of information about human behaviour; however, information doesn’t automatically explain motivation. 

Understanding how people make decisions has applications in consumer research, human resources, product development, education and organisational management. Fields that help organisations understand people may remain valuable even as machines become better at analysing them.

Perhaps the bigger lesson is that future careers may increasingly exist between traditional subjects. Students may benefit from developing combinations of knowledge rather than thinking only in terms of conventional professional labels.

There is no degree that can guarantee employment in 2030 – anyone who is promising this is offering a level of certainty that the labour market simply can’t provide. What education can offer is a strong foundation – e.g. subject knowledge, analytical ability, communication, technological literacy and the capacity – to learn again when circumstances change. 

Students shouldn’t prepare for a fixed future; instead, they should be ready to join an evolving workplace.

Perhaps the bigger lesson is that future careers may increasingly exist between traditional subjects