OPINION | The book of jobs: Bridging the skills gap for a better tomorrow

Few parents in the 1970s would have encouraged their children to become programmers, data scientists, game designers, drone operators, or influencers. Yet these are careers employing hundreds of thousands of people around the world today.

A 2024 study of jobs led by MIT economist David Autor pointed out that 6 out of 10 workers are doing jobs today that didn’t exist in 1940 - data analysis, cybersecurity, social media management, even career counselling! The study implies that more than 85 per cent of employment growth over the last 80 years is explained by new jobs and positions created by technology!

Before the telecom and Mobile revolution changed (almost) everything about long-distance communication, India employed tens of thousands of switchboard operators working in fast-paced environments, plugging and unplugging cords to route calls. At its peak, India boasted nearly 36,000 telegraph offices, employing thousands of telegraph operators skilled in Morse code. And while these jobs—and those of thousands of film projectionists, lift operators, carriage makers, photo lab technicians—slowly, and sometimes suddenly, yielded to technology, the market demanded new skills.

The telecommunication revolution demanded tower engineers, mobile-network planners and game developers. The computer revolution created software engineers, data scientists and chip designers. The internet gave us web developers, cybersecurity analysts, cloud architects and digital marketers. The smartphone era produced UX designers, social media managers and digital payments specialists. The explosion in global travel created aviation safety experts, airport planners and online travel consultants. Sustainability concerns gave rise to ESG analysts and renewable energy specialists.

And now we are dealing with yet another upheaval led by agentic AI, additive manufacturing (like 3D printing), Mixed Reality (AR/VR), synthetic biology (genetic editing, stem cell therapy) and automation (good old robots).

Of course, we will lose jobs as we know them. Data entry is almost dead already. Basic bookkeeping, routine customer support, claims processing, transcription, telemarketing, travel ticketing, and document review are rapidly becoming the domain of intelligent software.

But what is opening up is often more creative, challenging and exciting. The next generation may create virtual worlds, train intelligent machines, engineer cleaner fuels, grow replacement tissues or develop personalised treatments based on a patient’s genes. As I pored over research while writing Jobs 2.0, I was struck by this exploding world of options we are hurtling towards—Computer Vision Engineers, Immersive Media producers, Sports Data Scientists, Crowdfunding Specialists, Neuromarketers, Human-Computer Interaction researchers, Psychometricians, Interventional Radiologists, Inclusive Leadership Trainers, Motion Capture Animators, Blockchain Cryptography developers, or Climate and Carbon Markets Analysts.

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Work report estimates that 170 million new jobs will be created and 92 million displaced by 2030—a net gain of 78 million jobs. NITI Aayog estimates that India’s AI economy could create up to 40 lakh jobs over the next five years, while the National Green Hydrogen Mission envisages more than 6 lakh jobs by 2030. Maharashtra’s AVGC-XR policy suggests that animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality could together support over 80 lakh direct and indirect jobs across India. These are not merely new versions of yesterday’s clerical roles; they combine technology with creativity, design with problem-solving and human judgement.

Of course, the best predictions may be widely off. Steve Jobs, the founder of iTunes, dismissed music subscriptions before streaming transformed the industry. Steve Chen, co-founder of YouTube, wondered whether there would ever be enough videos for people to watch. Margaret Thatcher declared that no woman would become Britain’s prime minister in her lifetime a decade before assuming office herself. Charlie Chaplin believed cinema was little more than a passing fad.

Time and again, the future has confounded even those who help create it. The future of work may do the same: it is likely to be more expansive, creative and opportunity-rich than we fear, even if the transition is difficult and uneven.

And therein lies the real challenge—today’s data-entry operator may not become tomorrow’s genome engineer or robotics designer. The challenge is not simply about creating new jobs, but helping young people build the mindset, skills and adaptability needed to thrive in careers that haven't yet been invented.

The writer is the author of the book ‘Jobs 2.0’ (Hachette India).

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.