Is Your Job Safe?
The world as we know it is changing rapidly and we’ve
recently seen that job security is becoming a thing of the past. There are
three reasons why job security is going to erode even further, and why your job
may not exist by the end of the decade.
Reason #1: Technology
We all know that technology is advancing at a rapid pace and
it’s causing the destruction of many jobs. It’s pretty obvious that more
repetitive tasks are going to be replaced by machines, as they increase
accuracy and safety in many job areas, yet we have to ask ourselves how far
this will actually go. I believe that thanks to technology, many service
industry roles will disappear in the future. Replacing human workers with
technology simply saves money and increases the effectiveness of many roles.
In the future we’ll be able to walk into an unmanned
supermarket where machines handle all the tasks such as processing
transactions, restocking shelves (if shelves actually exist) and answering
customer questions. That’s if the entire supermarket doesn’t just go straight
to operating online where we get our groceries delivered to our door as
required.
The same will happen for most retail stores as shopping
online increases in its interactivity and experience (Amazon and Zappos show
the start of this trend). Right now, the vast majority of the first-world
population works in the service industry, but when technology can deliver
better service at lower cost, there are going to be a lot of people out there
looking for jobs.
Reason #2: Organizational Structures
When there are fewer people working in a company you simply
need less management. Common management wisdom states that you need 1 manager
for every 6-7 direct reports—reduce the direct reports and we no longer need as
much management.
This means that company sizes will drop dramatically as more
and more of their workforce is replaced. Middle management will become a job
that involves watching over the machines. Perhaps this is a good time to be
working on our IT skills for the future shifts that are coming.
Reason #3: Outsourcing
The roles that remain will be those that require human
creativity on a day-to-day basis, such as graphic design, writing or teaching.
There are some things that our brains are simply better at doing and it will be
a while before machines can ever replace us completely. In these areas we need
to look at globalization and the challenge it presents. There are now literally
billions of highly skilled people living in areas of the world with lower
living costs than us. If we think outsourcing will stop with just call centers
and factories, then we have another think coming.
The reality is that there are increasing numbers of highly
educated students with Bachelors, Masters and PhD degrees graduating from
universities all around the world. You can find an amazing graphic designer in
India right now… and she’s willing to work for a lot less money than US graphic
designers.
So What Do You Do to Secure Your Income?
We used to compete in a world where we simply had to be the
best in the local economy of our city or town. Then it became the country, and
now it’s become the world. If you want to be truly safe then you need to become
the best in the world at what you do (at least in the eyes of your target
market).
The reality is that not everything is about price: the new
Pepsi branding package cost $1,000,000 and Accenture paid $100,000,000 for
theirs back in 2000. It pays well when you’re at the top of your game.
I believe the most important question you can ask yourself
is: How much value can I deliver to the largest number of
people?
If this value is seen as unique, you will always have a
source of income providing that you keep it that way. If you can be replaced by
a machine or somebody less expensive, then you’re in for a tough time.
Final Words Of Wisdom
From a quote where the source is not definitely known:
“People can be divided into three groups:
Those who make things happen,
those who watch things happen,
and those who wonder what happened.”
So go ahead and choose your group.
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