Study this to ensure your job is relevant in 5 years time

As technology creates a new set of rules for the economy‚ school leavers and prospective students should take heed of the professions likely to be in demand to ensure their future “employ-ability“‚ the trade union UASA advises.

Across major economies in the world‚ office and administrative jobs; manufacturing and production; construction and extraction; arts‚ design‚ entertainment‚ sports and media; and legal and installation and maintenance will see a decline‚ says Andre Venter‚ UASA spokesperson.

Growth is expected in job categories including business and financial operations; management; computer and mathematics; architecture and engineering; sales and related jobs; and education and training.

Venter has broken down this further‚ based on international research and the World Economic Forum’s report on The Future of Jobs‚ to highlight the jobs that will become more in demand or remain stable over the next five years:

- Data analysts — to help make sense of all the data generated.

- Computer programmers‚ software developers‚ information security analysts.

- Architects and engineers‚ specifically engineers qualified in biochemical‚ nanotechnology‚ robotics and materials.

- Specialised sales people who not only know their products but also understand the ins and outs of the business environment in which they are working.

- Experienced managers to lead companies through periods of transformation and disruption due to changes in the labour market.

- Product design is expected to be a top skill in demand by 2020.

- Human resources and organisational development specialists to help reskill workers.

- Regulatory and government relations experts to navigate the legal side of the changes in the market.

“With 27‚1% of South Africa’s population without jobs‚ according to Statistics South Africa‚ prospective students would do well to take heed of these changes‚” Venter said.

 

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