The prevailing sentiment surrounding the future of work is that amid all the uncertainty, work done by human is going to disappear; that we’re all doomed. Last year, Cognizant outlined 21 jobs that will emerge in the next 10 years and be central to the future of work. (The full report from last year is available here.)
As we enter 2019, the company predicts 21 more jobs that will emerge in a world of AI, automation, algorithms, bots and big data. Both reports espouse Cognizant’s view that even as work is changing with the emergence of AI, humans have never been more integral to the future of work. These jobs are both plausible and futuristic – and represent important work that humans will continue to need to do.
“Man-Machine co-existence is the new reality of jobs” – says Manish Bahl, AVP, Centre for the Future of Work, Cognizant
“No matter how technology-driven our lives become, ultimately, we as humans, want thehuman touch. Cognizant’s 21 More Jobs report fall under three broad themes born from the deep-seated human aspirations for the future,” he explained below:
– Ethical behaviors: We want machines and humankind to act well and behave themselves; our jobs include a Chief Purpose Planner, an Algorithm Bias Auditor, a Juvenile Cyber Crime, Rehabilitation Counsellor, a Head ofMachine Personality Design and a Head of Business Behaviour.
– Security and safety: We want to feel safe in this brave (and scary) new world we’re creating; this will call for jobs such as a Cyber Attack Agent, a Cyber Calamity Forecaster, a Machine Risk Officer and a Virtual Identity Defender.
– Dreams: A number of our new jobs stem from age-old science fiction visions that are set to become science fact in the next 10 years: Smart Home Designer, Flying Car Developer, aVertical Farm Consultant. In times that are undeniably cloudy (if not entirely dark), and in which the downsides of technology are more visible than ever, these types of jobs derive from our desire to continue to believe in the positive power of technological-driven progress.
Cognizant’s recently released Jobs of the Future Index explores the trends and patterns in a set of jobs, in which the jobs of the future it has identified, with a base period of Q3 in 2016. It shows that these jobs of the future have grown by 47pc in the last two years. The index also shows a 7pc jump in the last quarter alone.
What are the jobs of the future?
Based on the macroeconomic, political, demographic, societal, cultural, business and technology trends observable today, Cognizant proposed a list of 21 jobs that will emerge in the next 10 years and be central to the future of work.
This year’s report brings many new jobs that match the growing trends around cybersecurity, data analytics and the importance of meaningful jobs. The increasing need to protect against cyberattacks will bring more jobs in this area. The design industry is also expanding fast and even more design roles will appear across a wide range of industries, from smart homes to e-sports arenas.
Finally, the need for data experts is already reaching critical levels, with the need to collect, mine and analyse data across a wide range of businesses creating greater opportunities in this area.
Cognizant’s report predicts that a chief purpose planner will become a real job in the next 10 years. This role would theoretically entail mastering a corporate brief in order to “help clients build, maintain, manage and burnish their purpose in the minds of an increasingly crowded market.”
The more important purpose, meaning and values become to the world, the more it will affect a company’s bottom line. In turn, it is to be expected that a job will be created to ensure that this side of the business is as effective as possible.
Check out the full list of Cognizant’s 21 jobs of the future below. (Read the detailed report here)
1. Data trash engineer
2. Cyberattack agent
3. Juvenile cybercrime rehabilitation counsellor4. Voice UX designer
5. Joy adjutant
6. Head of business behaviour
7. Smart home design manager
8. Algorithm bias auditor
9. Uni4Life coordinator
10. Cyber-calamity forecaster
11. E-sports arena builder
12. Tidewater architect
13. Virtual identity defender
14. Head of machine personality design
15. Virtual reality arcade manager
16. Vertical farming consultant
17. Machine risk officer
18. Subscription management specialist
19. Flying car developer
20. Haptic interface designer
21. Chief purpose planner
Every job in the report is emerging at a time when the commercial value of human skills is being radically reassessed, said the research. Some old skills are losing their power in the market today, while many new skills are the source of outsized advantage. But paradoxically, some old skills are more important than ever. And not all new skills will have a long shelf life.
With the future of work evolving quickly, skills too must evolve to keep pace. Frequent skill upgrades are needed to ensure that people have the relevant skills to be – and stay – employable.
In this scenario, Cognizant states that corporates and academia must redefine the construct of learning and skills. The year 2019 will be crucial in furthering ‘the future of jobs’ vision and bringing businesses and educators together to train the workforce in skills needed to succeed in a digital economy.
