The opportunities available in changing industries

Colarity - war for talent

New technology, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are already making their mark on the economy, causing significant upheaval in the job market.

While some industries will be hit hard in terms of redundancies and retrenchment, it’s not all bad news for job seekers or for organisations wanting to retain good talent with some coaching and training.

Work has always changed

If you look back over history, work has always changed. Once upon a time, people worked as chimney sweeps, lamp-lighters and rat catchers. With the invention of the telephone, switchboard operators were an integral part of the communication network before technology took over. At one point, humans manually performed the complex mathematics in order to put astronauts into orbit. The thought of performing those jobs today seems laughable, as advances in technology rendered them obsolete long ago.

The future holds many jobs that don’t exist today and you, your organisation and your talent can be prepared for them.

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According to SEEK, the top five Australian industries experiencing the most growth right now include:

  • Trades and Services
  • Science and Technology
  • Healthcare and Medical
  • Engineering
  • Mining, Resources and Energy

So what types of new jobs could we expect to see within these booming industries? Cognizant’s Center for the Future of Work, wrote a white paper proposing 21 jobs that will emerge over the next 10 years.

These predictions are based on the current major macroeconomic, political, demographic, societal, cultural, business and technology trends. Furthermore, the authors of the report believe that these roles will become cornerstones of the new future of work, rather than some far-fetched fantasy of science fiction.

Here are five of these jobs, that could very well exist here in Australia, based on the industries that are experiencing a boom right now.

Industry #1 — Trades and Services

New Job: Virtual Store Sherpa

It’s expected that online shopping will continue to evolve to include a greater number of virtual stores, complete with personalised ‘Sherpas’ available to meet every customer need.

Customers will no longer to need to visit ‘real’ stores even for their hardware, gardening and home design needs. Instead, customers will be matched up to a personalised Sherpa, who has the right skills to be able to advise on their needs. Via online platforms augmented reality glasses and video links, it’s anticipated that Sherpas with skills such as carpentry, plumbing, gardening, or home design will be able to interact with customers and provide their expert advice for every home project.

Hard skills required:

  • Apprenticeship with, or background as, a registered licensed contractor.
  • Demonstrated track record as a journeyman/ journeywoman, contractor, painter, carpenter, landscape designer, plumber or tool foreman.
  • Experience in retail sales and working with customers.

Soft skills required:

  • Excellent communication skills.
  • Exceptional organisational skills.
  • High attention to detail.
  • Ability to multitask.

Industry #2 — Science and Technology

New Job: Genomic Portfolio Director

With the explosion of biotechnology research and advances in DNA analysis and gene-editing technology, it’s expected that new drugs will be developed at unprecedented rates.

There will be opportunities for those with business acumen and scientific qualifications to create strategies to meet customer’s ongoing health-related needs, in a way that is profitable for biotech companies.

This role will also involve working closely with health organisations, major insurers, large health systems and hospitals.

Hard skills required:

  • An undergraduate degree with a specific focus in genomics; a master’s degree in business and/or molecular biology or equivalent experience is preferred.
  • Research, sales/marketing or closely related experience.
  • Laboratory experience in a research or quality control setting

Soft skills required:

  • Leadership experience.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with many stakeholders.
  • Strong negotiating skills.
  • Exceptional analytical skills and the ability to interpret information.

Industry #3 — Healthcare and Medical

New Job: Personal Memory Curator

With an ageing population comes the increased likelihood of simple memory loss. Enter the Personal Memory Curator who will be required to provide a ‘live well’ solution for the elderly, by creating and delivering seamless virtual environments for them to inhabit. In this role, the curator will consult with patients to generate specifications for virtual reality experiences that bring a particular time, place or event to life.

Hard skills required:

  • A solid grounding in virtual reality simulation techniques.
  • Solid psychology qualification to uncover experience cues.
  • Narrative and storytelling capability.

Soft skills required:

  • A high degree of emotional intelligence (supportive and encouraging to the patient).
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Genuine concern for the welfare of others.
  • Strong creative skills.
  • Ability to work in a team.
  • Thirst for innovation.
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Industry #4 — Engineering

New Job: Cyber City Analyst

Those with engineering or IT qualifications may be able to find work as a Cyber City Analyst. It’s expected that nearly all municipal functions, including emergency services, power provisioning and waste collection, will use sensor data to ensure fast and effective delivery of key city services.

In this role of the future, analysts will ensure the steady flow of data around cities, including biodata, citizen data, and asset data. They’ll ensure technical and transmission equipment functions and will carry out any necessary repairs when automated data flows are broken, faulty or hacked.

This role will also involve diagnosing and fixing key city support processes.

Hard skills required:

  • Digital engineering qualifications in Agile, DevOps and continuous integration.
  • Understanding of key IT skills.
  • Circuitry skills (solder electronics, print silicon, etc.).
  • Ability to read analytics and visualization platforms.
  • Experience with 3-D printing.

Soft skills required:

  • Understanding of design thinking.
  • Ability to work under pressure.
  • Ability to work in a team.

Industry #5 — Mining, Resources and Energy

New Job: Ethical Sourcing Officer 

With an increased focus on environmentalism and ethics, more companies are considering what’s ethical rather than just profitable. As a result, those with experience in energy management could find themselves working as an Ethical Sourcing Officer.

This role would involve working on ethical sourcing initiatives which are in line with the standards set by stakeholders. Ethical spends in energy, waste and community sponsorship will all be important.

The person in this role will be responsible for checking the ethical integrity of every contract and supply chain and will lead negotiations around contractual terms and conditions.

Hard skills required:

  • Proven ability to define ethical behaviour within the context of corporate objectives.
  • Educational background or experience in business, law, governance or environmental management.

Soft skills required:

  • Very strong negotiation skills.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to work well on a team.
  • Strong analytical skills.
  • Ability to adapt to different client needs and develop and maintain successful working relationships.

With our affordable coaching and training platform, you can help yourself, your talent and your organisation be future-ready. Find out about Colarity.