Newstricky| Over the last couple of years, the world has been ravaged by the seemingly incessant rampage of COVID-19 across nations. However, while the health implications of the virus have been beyond tragic, many industry analysts suggest the worst is yet to come – mainly in the form of the ongoing (and increasing) potential economic complications caused by the virus.
The lockdown and distancing restrictions that were enforced by governments attempting to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus have seen economies virtually shut down and, in many cases, have pushed otherwise previously successful businesses to the wall.
Despite the fact the very worst of the virus seems to be behind us through the mass rollout of vaccinations, it’s widely accepted that we’re merely witnessing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the financial and socio-economic reverberations caused by COVID-19.
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To make matters worse …
As if two years of lockdown weren’t enough to disrupt economies globally, the world now faces one of the greatest times of uncertainty in living memory. With peace in Europe now very much sitting on a knife-edge through Russian movements in Ukraine – compounded by the ever-increasing cost of living – it seems the future has never felt less secure.
For the immediate future, at least, the previous security we enjoyed through the latter half of the 20th century, both in terms of financial and career certainty, may well be on hold for a little while.
A fourth industrial revolution
With the tremendous advances being made across the web, computers and associated tech, most employment, and industry experts suggest we are currently on the cusp of a fourth industrial revolution – a time when man, robots, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) will come to coexist in all areas of our business and social lives.
Certainly, there’s little denying the transformative impact tech and machines are having on today’s emerging future. From the growing demise of the traditional high street to the effect of social media on everything from traditional news sources to marketing and advertising, the landscape we now live in is almost unrecognizable to that of even just a decade ago.
Going it alone – does starting a business offer more security in terms of ongoing work?
With so much uncertainty surrounding more traditional careers and the prospect of companies facing squeezes on profit margins through increasing energy, materials, and production costs, many entrepreneurial job seekers are taking matters into their own hands and going it alone. In today’s employment landscape, it may well prove to be the case that being your own boss could offer better security. Some of the more common (and lucrative) job opportunities include:
Setting up an e-com store: With so much trade already moving online and the price of setting up e-commerce sites tumbling, there are limitless opportunities if you have a good idea for a web-based store. For example, you could set up a shop selling jewelry and outsource the manufacturing to a company like cdocast.com to minimize your production costs.
Work as a freelancer: Again, using the web for advertising and as a source of work, the freelance market has exploded in recent years – and companies are more willing than ever to outsource jobs to third parties.
Take on delivery work: There’s little doubt the internet has changed the way we shop forever, but goods still need to be delivered to customers, and courier services are booming – particularly in the so-called final mile of delivery.
The age of the ‘pointless’ job
The advances in tech over recent years – exacerbated by COVID-19 isolation and an increasing tendency for companies to move operations to the cloud – have exposed an entirely new idea: Namely, the concept of the so-called pointless job.
As the sophistication and capacity of AI and robots continue to increase, so they are rendering previously (relatively) safe careers superfluous. And make no mistake, this is no fleeting phenomenon. AI and ML are coming along leaps and bounds – quite literally when you consider the incredible physical capabilities of machines like Boston Dynamics athletic, parkour-performing Atlas robots, or the cognoscente canine companion, Spot.
Where AI and ML were previously largely limited to performing mostly repetitive digital tasks, the new age of robots is shifting the goalposts yet again with some truly superhuman physical abilities.
In truth, we simply do not know what the future holds in terms of work and career opportunities, but there is little doubting that the world of work is changing irreversibly.
