The advanced and the developing world at present is confronting with one of the most complex challenges.
Do you know what it is? Well, it is the Global Youth Unemployment Crisis.
In this regard, there exists a delusion in the mind of people that it is technology which has disrupted jobs than creating more jobs. But reality speaks just the contrary of how misleading thoughts of people are. The fact of the matter is, technology is the agent that is helping to kick start innovative avenues for more job creation. And as far as joblessness is concerned, what you see around you is; a lot of routine jobs are going away because technology is bringing in automation.
You need to understand that, in every industrial revolution, say right from the steel to machines to computer technology- a lot of jobs have gone away and a lot of new jobs were created. Right now we are witnessing another new industrial revolution and this is the reason you see some people are losing jobs while there will be many other new jobs that will be created and thus the need of the hour is to not get disappointed but grab such new opportunities by gathering skillsets suitable to any new job roles.
Say, if you are a computer engineer, you will not only get jobs that are in the IT companies but your demand is also in banks, in hospitals and in government as right now everyone needs IT professionals who can help the organization undergo a smooth digital transformation. So technology is widening up your scope of seeking jobs rather than narrowing the chances for jobs.
Is Technology Really Creating More Jobs?
AI will Help Create More Jobs- As per Gartner’s 2017 hype cycle for emerging technologies AI will automate 1.8 million people out of work by 2020. However this should not worry much for as per this report, the good news is that, this new and emerging technology will also create 2.3 million jobs by 2020, driving a net gain of 500,000 new jobs.
Technology such as AI will help in automating the mundane and increasingly complex repetitive processes by freeing people to do more of high-value, relationship building services while deploying AI/chatbots in areas where they need to excel. Ai is all set to create new responsibilities for professionals that broadly focuses upon human capabilities that AI can never deliver no matter how powerful the technology stands out to be.
Some of the positions developed around AI technology may be named thus- AI trainers, individuals to support data science and capabilities related to modeling, computational intelligence, machine learning, mathematics, psychology, linguistic and neuroscience.
There is a huge demand for creative jobs at the moment because as was highlighted earlier too that, ‘technology or machines cannot perform any creative work or problem solving or interpersonal skills required by advisors, leadership, teamwork and sales. So what is gaining a traction in the job world are jobs with high EQ (emotional intelligence) quotients which not open up doors for growing jobs but higher pay in these areas too.
Digital Economy is Helping Create More Jobs- As digital economy is taking over the world, we are a witness to the fact that disruptive technologies win consumers over with innovative thinking.
We forget about the under-resourced and under skilled developing world. What we are looking for is technology to bridge a lot of these deficits,” says Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw a Biotech entrepreneur and chairperson of Biocon Limited. She adds further, “India is trying to create the biggest digital market in the world, a cashless society. Uber, and its Indian counterpart Ola, have created a million jobs…because we now have 650 million mobile phones in India, which has suddenly allowed people to have service on demand…We look at technology as a huge job multiplier.”
Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation thinks it is technology which is helping to turn the tide on the continued economic marginalization of the youth.
Big names from the Private sector such as Google and Coca Cola are taking up a bold strategy to work out on how they could add value to their business offering and supply chain network. So in this regard, they are either working on bringing improved employment models or are conducting various kinds of vocational training programmes that help empower entrepreneurs across the company’s value chain. Coca Cola’s initiative called the 5by20 is helping to empower at least 5 million women entrepreneurs. To know more on it, click here.
Digital Technology can Resolve Global Unemployment Issue
Digital Technology is helping to bring the right skills to the youth. It isthrough MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses that the youth of today get an access to low-cost, customizable education worldwide without giving financial burdens to the students or force them to follow a strict schedule of traditional brick and mortar institutions.
Students with the help of such flexible courses are now in a better position to create a curriculum that is tailored to their schedules and employer needs.
We all knowhow important it is for students to expand their network tofind and maintain a job. And, here is where again, digital technology makes networking all the more easier by providing online networks consisting of information on jobs, conferences and various scholarship opportunities. Further, that said we all know the success of such online platforms requires digital literacy on the part of the students and advertiser. The idea is that youths need to be comfortable in communicating and sharing their skills online and employers too need to know how to use social media and other digital technology platforms to share information and advertise important the success of such online platforms
You are also a witness to some new career models and all because of digital technology that is changing the job landscape by creating some innovative career models that never existed before. Also, in a sharing economy prevalent at present time, the youths have a chance to actually create their own day-to-day-job through web or mobile platform. Given a scope, youths also have a chance to actually market their relevant skills and expertise to reach the right customers efficiently. As long as policies support these nontraditional careers, the young people also have increasingly multiple simultaneous jobs rather than simply focusing upon one full-time source of employment.
Technology is also helping in outsourcing online tasks to the youth. More than ever companies are now using online marketplaces to outsource their tasks to workers globally. For example, one of the industry’s leaders, Upwork posts more than 3 million jobs annually for website, logo developers, virtual assistants, mobile app developers and other third party workers. In fact, it is online outsourcing that enables companies to curate specific tasks and identify specialized talent to complete them.
Finally, it is technology that is encouraging young people to pursue digital entrepreneurship. They can now both, create and manage their own ventures- be it to maintain and service technology itself through internet kiosks or mobile phone servicing or creating digital start-ups with the help of mobile application. Youths can now also secure fund more easily through online platforms such as Kickstarter, helping to ease doubts.
Thus, surely global youth unemployment issue is a very complex issue and does not have an easy fix but by taking up some concrete steps it can definitely be tackled by cultivating constructive solutions through digital technology.
