Manpower 2012 study reported a third of worldwide companies had trouble filling their tech jobs. Industry, marketplace, employers want RBPS and RBDM, which require Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills. Unfortunately, many applicants had skills in areas where there’s not much demand.
Pre COVID, there were not enough trained VUCANs for in-demand jobs. And, this was a worldwide phenomenon. Under employment for millennial VUCANs in many parts of Europe was 50%. Now in COVID time, what’s going to happen? Let’s look at a few solutions:
There are too few plumbers and trade professionals in developed countries. A VUCAN in the crafts with low-level programming can make substantially more than a college graduate. Scott Adams (Dilbert creator) begs the question:
“Why do we make B students sit through the same classes as their brainy peers? That’s like trying to train your cat to do your taxes—a waste of time and money. Wouldn’t it make sense to teach them something useful instead. (Our addition: like run a small business?)[i]
For example, there aren’t enough cybersecurity workers out there and things are getting worse. According to one estimate by 2021, an estimated 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs will be unfilled. A cyber-skills shortage implies high school students can be recruited and trained to fight off hackers. And of possible cyber candidates, fewer than one in four are even qualified and few are women. The number of women in Computer Science in 2016 was 17%. In 1980, the number of women in Computer Science was 34%.[ii]
Work Lesson Earned: VUCANs are searching for the same things – a better life. Unfortunately, the paths for making it are getting fewer. The middle class in 40 developed countries has shrunk. Housing and food cost more. Wages are stagnant. Qualified VUCANs have fewer opportunities Automation is eliminating work opportunities. Global FOMO is rising.[iii]
So, there are great work opportunities if VUCANs make smart risk based decisions during COVID time
[i] ‘How to Get a Real Education in College’, Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2011.
[ii] ‘What the Gender Gap in Tech Could Cost Us’, Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2016.
[iii] ‘Millennials Miss Out on Middle Class’, Linkedin, April 10, 2019.