Jobs, jobs, jobs

People need work to achieve livelihood security and give their lives purpose. However, there are not enough jobs available, and in recent years the gap between ambition and reality in the labormarket has become even wider.

Young people are most affected by unemployment; for them, finding work is particularly difficult. If they do find a job, they must often endure unfavourable working conditions.

Global unemployment is increasing. It has risen by more than 17 per cent in a single decade, with further growth predicted due to job cuts and an expanding world population. For many peopleunemployment equals poverty and a lack of prospects. Let’s look at some highlights:

* The world’s population is growing – driving up demand for jobs.

600 million new jobs are needed by 2020 alone!

* Nine out of 10 jobs are provided by the private sector. In other words, government should treat the private sector nicely.

* Young people make up just 25 per cent of the workforce but 40 per cent of the unemployed. It is essential that we look at entrepreneurship, incubators, and a ‘start-up’ environment. But again, the private sector has to get involved and assist in the transition from unemployed to entrepreneur.

* If every child is to receive at least a basic education, many more teachers will be required.

* Labor market policy is regarded as a tool that can solve many of the major problems of our modern age. But it can only work if it also reaches people without regular jobs. Here, K to12 and Apprenticeship can assist in the transition in the ‘supply-chain’ from student immersion to apprenticeship to employment. DepED, DOLE, TESDA and enlightened companies have to make that possible.

* As automation proceeds, many jobs will be lost. We have to come up with new ways of generating income or else our economies face disruptions. Education has to move up the value-chain.

* Some politicians and economists are placing great hopes in digitalization, although precisely how it will impact the labor market remains to be seen. Some experts fear a wipe-out of millions of jobs, while others are predicting a surge in employment. One thing is certain: digitalization will turn our working world on its head yet again and will likely bring about a transformation as radical as that which resulted from industrialization.

* The most important difference is that machines are now beginning to think. Computers are now learning by themselves, which is why technology is going to replace all kinds of work – anything that is somehow routine and predictable regardless of the industry and in many cases regardless of skill and education. That includes assembly-line type jobs which have, for the most part, already disappeared. But it also includes occupations like flipping hamburgers or driving vehicles. And most importantly it includes a huge number of knowledge-based jobs where you have people sitting in front of a computer doing the same kinds of tasks again and again.

Globalization of employment will continue to be a key trend in the future. Here too, digitalization is the strongest driver. International software corporations already employ large numbers of developers in the Indian city of Bangalore, while European companies are operating shared-services and technical support activities out of the Philippines.

The Philippines has long been a global center of business process outsourcing — the contracting of business activities to a third-party provider. Demand for these services will increase: a study by Roland Berger, the global strategy consultancy, forecasts that in 2030, there will be a shortage of around 50 million trained workers on the European market across a variety of sectors, but especially in the IT industry. This is the chance for Filipinos!

So there is no shortage of work ahead — but right across the globe, the biggest task will be to make sure that this translates into the right education for the new job market entries.