The Hottest Job of the Near Future?
At least One Million Data Scientists Needed
FUTURE PROOF – BLOG BY FUTURES PLATFORM
Data and AI technologies are driving the development of our industries; and a demand for experts in STEM-related fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), and wages paid in those jobs, are growing fast in many countries. The skills gap is widening globally, and it’s predicted that there will be a shortage of one million data scientists by 2018. Some estimations even suggest that a global shortage of cyber security professionals alone may rise to two million by 2019. If the current forecasts are to be believed, it’s a safe bet to acquire skills in data science!
We often see headlines about artificial intelligence and automation killing jobs, but not too many news discussing about the potential benefits for us human workers. For instance, it’s reported that AI technologies have replaced over 800, 000 lower-skilled jobs in the UK, but there’s a strong evidence that they have also helped to create nearly 3.5 million new higher-skilled jobs, which pay around £10, 000 more yearly than the ones lost.
These new jobs come with a requirement of a new set of skills and education levels that many low-skill workers don’t currently have. The shortage of workers with the necessary skills in STEM is seen as a global problem facing us already in the near future. The growing demand is already highly visible in the U.S. where the hottest jobs right now include titles like data scientist, data engineer, and business analyst.
These are good news for individuals already possessing the skills and experience in-demand, but it’s also a remarkable challenge to our companies and societies. We need to answer this rapidly growing skills gap with a right education, training, and positive attitude; so we’ll learn to embrace machines as our co-workers, and be able to take advantage of the new opportunities that AI technologies can offer to us.
If we play our cards right, the dystopian pictures drawn of the artificial intelligence and robotics revolution might turn out to be mistaken. AI could enable us to solve many essential challenges that have plagued the human kind and robots by and by take over all mechanic, boring, and hard work. People, on the other hand, move to enjoy tasks that require creativity and that include a sense of purpose and reap the benefits of shorter working hours.
Are you interested in future trends, developments, and other phenomena? Futures Platform’s foresight radar includes all trends in this blog and hundreds more. Check it out here: Futures Platform
