Future of Work

Juan Lopez moved from the military to the oil and gas industry before becoming a wind turbine technician. His path, though not an easy one, is an example of an exciting way to navigate successfully across industries. As this clip shows, working with wind turbines, can be dangerous, but it’s an industry with a future, and Juan knows, if he can keep from getting hurt, he should always have a job.

Alexsandrah Gondora is a human model, but she’s also Shudu, the first world-wide digital model. Camerson-James Wilson works with real models, but recreates the photos he takes in 3D to create digital models, models who don’t get tired, or sick, and can be in many places at one time. But will modelling as an industry be completely replaced by Artificial Intelligence and technology at large?

Since early 2020, the world has been rocked by triple crises: the global pandemic, the ensuing economic disruptions, and the acknowledgement of long-existing racial inequities. With U.S. unemployment sky-high, a majority of Americans are concerned about the future. The usual ladders to security - education, hard work, life-long employment - appear to have broken down.

A.I. Technologist and Entrepreneur, Kai-Fu Lee believes routine jobs will be displaced faster than new jobs will be created in the next 10-15 years. Though we’ll see a net loss of jobs, there will be many jobs invented and created. But how do workers future-proof themselves for jobs that don’t yet exist? What skills will be needed, and is college really worth it?

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.

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.

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.

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?