As technology continues to change the way we work, there are a number of questions that need to be answered.
Will there be enough workers in the future or too many? Will more jobs be created or lost? How will the new jobs be created? What sort of industries will flourish? What will be the impact of new technology? Should we be frightened? These are just the beginning.
Australia has been surviving system and technology revolutions for centuries now. It is often forgotten that the fastest decline in jobs came via the tractor and fertiliser pre and post World War II. Once employing well over 30% of the workforce in Australia, that industry now employs less than 3% in 2015. Manufacturing employed 30% of the workforce in 1960. Now, 55 years later, it employs less than 8% due to technology, productivity, consumer saturation and import displacement, yet our standard of living has increased fivefold in 100 years.
Indications for job prospects over the next decade show that the number of employment opportunities will increase steadily. Australia has five big-picture advantages that give it a head-start: world-class resources in land, minerals and energy; proximity to the world’s fastest-growing markets in Asia; the use of English, the world’s business language; a temperate climate; and well-understood tax and regulatory regimes.
The pace of technological advancement in the last 20 years has been unprecedented and that pace is likely to continue for the next 20 years. While automation has replaced some jobs in areas such as agriculture, mining and manufacturing, other areas which are likely to see change in the future, such as the health sector, currently remain largely untouched by technological change.
Australia’s Federal Department of Employment indicates that there will be numerous industries showing major growth by 2020. The top three over that period will be:
- Health Care / Social Assistance (projected to make the largest contribution to employment growth in the next five years – increasing by 258,000)
- Education and Training (increasing by 142,700)
- Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (increasing by 136,600)
It may come as no surprise that these are the industries in which growth is most expected; as such fields play an integral role in the success and well-being of a society.
Health and Social Care Driving Australia Forward
In five years time, Australia will have jobs we have not yet dreamed of. However, the people that we will need the most will be from an already well-known occupation – Nursing.
In the healthcare field, top occupations to look out for include Registered Nurses, Nursing Support Workers, Disability Carers and Aged Carers. In fact, many experts believed age care and associated needs will yield significant job growth, as Australia manages an ageing population. Retirement living, community care and an ageing workforce are just a few of the factors that may contribute to expansion in the healthcare industry and other fields. As Care becomes more digital, the requirement for highly-skilled workers in other arenas will also increase.
Nurses are already in high demand in Australia, with projections showing it is expected to become the fastest growing occupation by 2050. As it currently stands, the Department of Employment reports that by 2017, the healthcare and social assistance industry will become Australia’s largest employer, accounting for one in every four jobs created between now and then.
Education and Training
In the same vein, education and training will be important as society moves forward technologically. Education will always be part of the backbone of a healthy society and its anticipated growth shows that Australia is on the right track. In this field, the greatest number of careers will be Secondary and Primary School Teachers, Tutors, Child Carers and Educational Aides.
However, recent Department of Employment figures show that they are expecting a below average 12% rise in Preschool and School Education positions in the next five years while the greatest growth area, with an above average 26%, is expected in the Adult Community and Other Education sector.
This growth is expected to be supported by above average growth in the school aged population, improving strength in the international education sector as a result of the lower Australian dollar and continuing growth in part-time workers and non-teaching staff.
Skills and Technology
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services will see growth across the board. As in years past, skills and technology remain at the forefront of job growth.
Statistics suggest that the following positions will experience an up-swing: sales managers, advertising managers, software developers, programmers, accountants, project administrators, general managers and electricians. Again, technology is influencing these expected outcomes and a need for high-level skills, experience and guidance will be paramount.
The projected high rate of employment growth in the industry reflects ongoing strength in demand for the services of qualified and highly educated workers throughout the economy.
When looking to the future as a whole, Australia’s job market looks somewhat like an hourglass – lots of jobs at the top and at the bottom, with slim pickings in between. Routine jobs like bookkeeping and factory work are being replaced by technology. More people will be looking for jobs where technology increases productivity, rather than replaces the worker.
