Shaping the Future of Work post COVID is up to each of us:
“As technological breakthroughs rapidly shift the frontier between the work tasks performed by humans and those performed by machines and algorithms, global labor markets are undergoing major transformations. These transformations, if managed wisely, could lead to a new age of good work, good jobs and improved quality of life for all, but if managed poorly, pose the risk of widening skills gaps, greater inequality and broader polarization.”[i]
VUCA is real because of rising expectations and limited opportunities. Unhappy VUCANs are now called the precariat: “a social class .. which is a condition of existence without predictability or security, affecting (their) material or psychological welfare.”[ii]
It’s so important that it’s a political issue in many countries. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator running for president, distilled the Future of Work challenge:
“A nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much and so many have so little.”
While the quote applies to U.S. companies and billionaires, this truth relates to oligarchs and companies paying no taxes. We’re seeing VUCAN dissatisfaction and rioting in many countries
What’s the answer? Understanding and getting it. Adaptability. Finally, lifelong learning. The Future of Work is continually learning how to work and upgrade your marketable practices. “Lifelong learning has become a mantra in American corporations as employees face pressure to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving workplace” according to the Wall Street Journal.[iii] The challenge is figuring out what knowledge, skills, and abilities will be valuable and marketable next year and in five years. This requires a mixture of reading tea leaves and looking around corners.
[i] ‘Future of Jobs 2018’, World Economic Forum, 2018
[ii] Precariat, Wikipedia, 2019.
[iii] ‘Workers Find Learning Is a Lifelong Job,’ Wall Street Journal, February 28,