Future of Work

Technology has completely changed the way that farmers do things today, from the seeds that they plant to the way they drive their equipment. Sarah Lovas’s family has been farming in North Dakota for four generations. Today a farm labor shortage has forced farmers like Sarah to embrace the latest technologies, and agriculture is being digitized.

Each year Americans work longer and take fewer vacation days than others in the developed world. American ‘Workism’, logging long hours with little time off, might inspire people to make amazing things, but at what cost? While the COVID pandemic appears to have accelerated this work drive, and many are working more hours, women have been leaving the labor force in disproportionate numbers.

Tiffany Spraggins decided to go back to college after working jobs with no opportunity for growth. Knowing she wanted to make a livable wage, she started by looking at jobs that paid the salary she wanted. At college, she learned about an apprenticeship program to become a software functions tester, and she’s now on a path to being a full professional in a white-collar job.

Robots are already replacing human jobs. Advocates say they are the jobs people don’t want, but nonetheless, they are paying jobs, and the advent of human-like robots is getting closer as technology advances. AI systems have the capacity to replace humans on a scale never seen before. Should we embrace the future of robots, because it will create jobs that are more meaningful?

From 1977 to 1987, automation and outsourcing rapidly disrupted steel and manufacturing industries in places like Youngstown, Ohio. The result: mass unemployment, and an exodus of people going elsewhere for work. The effect wasn’t just economic; depression, alcoholism, drug use, and suicides rose in Youngstown, foreshadowing the consequences of technology and globalization everywhere.

Chris Francis lost his white collar career in the 2008 recession, and has been piecing together a livelihood ever since. He’s part of a growing movement of nomadic workers, living in their RV’s, and travelling the country from job to job. Today, with retirement less of a guarantee, and younger Americans being the first generation to be worse off than their parents, the American dream is at risk.

In 2019, Stockton, CA mayor Michael Tubbs launched an innovative experiment, giving some residents in low income neighborhoods $500/month, no strings attached. Among others, it helped Tomas Vargas Jr. and his family to avoid homelessness. While controversial, many tech titans see this kind of Universal Basic Income as a response to looming job loss, providing a cushion for people to try new ideas.

Before the pandemic, close to 8 million Americans were already using technology to work remotely. Many are entrepreneurial millennials piecing together freelance gigs anywhere in the world, as long as there’s wifi. These digital nomads, like Erick Prince and Mike Holp, enjoy having the freedom to set their own hours and locations, and are leading the conversation about the changing world of work.

Scientist and Entrepreneur Vivienne Ming explores the question, what is the future of work that people are hoping for? As Global Workforce Strategist Ravin Jesuthasan explains, The landscape of work has shifted from ‘I learn, I do, I retire,’ to ‘I learn, I do, I learn, I do,’ ad infinitum. There are no guarantees anymore. So, what does it take to stay relevant in this world of work?