The title of this blog is often referred to as a Chinese curse. However, research shows that it is not Chinese in origin[1] so it can’t be a Chinese curse! What is true though, is that people often see change as a curse.
There are many variations on a statement by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus (born 544 BC) about water in rivers, like the world, constantly changing. The most common variation is that change is the only constant. Recently, change has been blamed on the so-called “Fourth Industrial Revolution” and the related “Industry 4” and “Workforce 4”, but many people are uncertain about what it means in terms of future employment.
Before considering the future of employment, we should perhaps clarify what these terms mean and where they come from.
- Historically there was what was called the first industrial revolution (started around 1765). For many people, it was just known as the industrial revolution. In broad terms the result of this revolution are factories and large machines.
- The second industrial revolution (started around 1870) built on the first by adding development in electricity, fuel and steel. An example of this is that on 2 September 1882 Kimberley became the first town in South Africa with electric street lights. The second revolution used the development of the 1st revolution in new ways.
- The third industrial revolution again came almost 100 years later (around 1969) with aspects such as nuclear power and electronics. With this also came an explosion in availability of information and the so-called information age.
- This brings us to the fourth industrial revolution which is happening right now. The electronic device you are reading this blog on is linked to a virtual world made possible by the internet. People can control things in their houses through their smartphones. Computers and computer-based machines are becoming more “intelligent” linking to a concept of Artificial Intelligence. Once again, the fourth revolution is using the tools and resources of the third revolution in new and innovative ways.
I heard an interesting perspective on this many years ago. The idea was that you should not waste the potential of a person by having them do a job that can be done by a machine. This is becoming reality in the fourth industrial revolution.
The question is now: what about the people?
We started with quotes about change. There are also many quotes on survival in this ever-changing world. In essence they all boil down to the saying by Darwin that it is not the intelligent that survive, but the people [and organisations] that best adapt to these changes.
An interesting article that gives some food for thought about the future of employment, work, and where things are heading was recently published by Entrepreneur India: Navigating Gig Economy Through Adoption of Modern HR Tech[2].
This article highlights 10 considerations all should be aware of and prepared for:
- Digital Paper Resumes
- Digital Assessment for Selection
- HR Portals as Mobile Applications
- Geo-Agnostic Technology for Time-In/Out
- Right Time Data
- Conversational Tools for Collaboration
- Digital Matchmaking
- Chatbots/Intelligent Assistants as the New Helpdesk
- Hourly Gig Payments
- HR Business Partners as Business Evangelists
Importantly for us, the article asks if HR and business is ready for this.
And the answer is no!
It is clear that recruitment will change drastically in the next few years. How will you live and thrive in these “interesting times”?