What can we do when our jobs are becoming obsolete?

Jobteaser: Why do we become professional 'has-beens' more quickly today than we did thirty years ago? 

Isabelle Rouhan: In the 1970s, the technical capacity to perform a task, the know-how, had a lifespan of 30 years, as opposed to 12 to 18 months today, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). This means the end of linear career development, i.e. having one degree and spending decades in the same job or company. However, this isn't a serious problem, as long as we're ready for it.  

This accelerated obsolescence is primarily due to the automation of repetitive tasks – often the most tedious. So let's let the machines and algorithms do what they can, which is great for us, because it gives us more time to learn and address other needs (in short, to do more interesting things). 

I absolutely do not believe that we will all be replaced by machines. Some jobs are disappearing, of course – just as there is less demand for blacksmiths and lift operators, and just as the iconic London busses no longer need a conductor, other career paths are being created. According to Eurostat, digital technology could create nearly 15 million jobs, while automation will eliminate 6 million over the same period: the balance is therefore largely positive. In France, for example, it is expected that 4.5 million people will be hired over the next few months, an increase of 13% compared to last year, though 58% of positions are considered difficult to fill due to a lack of candidates. This is the case in health, sustainable mobility, construction, logistics, etc. So it is all about offering alternatives, facilitating retraining, and helping people move from one career to another. In fact, our focus should be on protecting people, rather than jobs. 

JT: So how do we move from a model based on lifetime employment to one based on lifetime employability? How can we avoid planned obsolescence? 

IR: The first piece of good news is that we can learn new technical skills at any point in our lives. As I've said, I don't believe that humans who don't master AI (Artificial Intelligence) will be replaced by AI, but by the humans who do master AI, algorithms, mathematics, low-code... That's why we'll need to be always learning, rather than capitalizing on a particular set of technical skills with a rather short shelf-life.  

Contact your HR department and see if your company covers training costs or offers any in-house training opportunities. We're fortunate to live at a time when we have so many opportunities to improve. In addition to continuing education, there are tools that are still unknown or underutilized. Various apprenticeship and work placement schemes make it easier than ever for those already in the workforce to be trained for a new career, to be paid during their training, and to find a job when they finish. That's how bin men can become care home workers with just a few months of training. And that's without going to the Job Centre, without ever becoming unemployed. 

JT: And the other good news? 

IR: Technical skills aren't the only ones in demand. When starting your career (and even afterwards), pay more attention to developing your soft skills. Flexibility, the ability to work in a team or to speak in public, the ability to analyse and think critically, etc. – none of these skills will become obsolete. On the contrary, the more progress you make in your professional life, the stronger they will become. Like a good wine, they improve over time. 

JT: Don't you have to specialise in a particular profession to understand and embrace all the changes? 

IR: Actually I think it's the opposite – it's the 'generalists' who will do best, if only because by 2030, 85% of those currently studying or in initial training will be working in a job that does not yet exist. We can see how many of us no longer work in the same way as we did 5 or 10 years ago; see, for example, how video-conferencing software has taken over the office... The more versatile you are, the better off you will be. Without a doubt, the most important soft skill is the ability to learn. In a world of constant change, the ability to question oneself is essential. It's a bit like the Japanese Ikigai method: I have to be able to combine what I really like to do, what I know how to do very well, and what there is a market for. As each of these categories is constantly changing, we have to be able to re-evaluate regularly.