Labour Market Set To Loose 30% Of Current Jobs In The Next 10 Years
30% of positions will become redundant in the next decade, however, just as many new positions could be created. The accelerated change in the labour market is defined by the advent of Industry 4.0 and the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Dr. Martina Rašticová, Head of the Department of Law and Humanities at Mendel University in Brno. Photo credit: Freepik / Stock image.
Prepared by Kim Bingel, edited for Jobspin
Czech Rep., Nov 3 (JS) – Dr. Martina Rašticová, Head of the Department of Law and Humanities at Mendel University, stated that in the next 10 years the labour market will experience significant changes due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the new methods implemented by companies to battle the lockdowns. According Dr. Rašticová, approximately 30% of current jobs will become obsolete, with a similar amount of new positions emerging.
“Today we can already observe a number of new types of job that were not widely known or did not exist at all a few years ago. For example, there are specialists in social networks, another profession will be a chatbot teacher, i.e. a communication specialist creating a language spoken by a chatbot, a computer program that simulates human conversation,” said Rašticová.
However, there may be less work for accountants, travel agents and assistant lawyers in the next decade, as their work can increasingly be done by automated programs.
Digitization, robotization and automation (factors of Industry 4.0) are developing rapidly in the face of the global situation. Industry 4.0 refers to the use of new technologies in manufacturing to transform business efficiency on a wider scale. The term, introduced in 2011 and also known as the ‘‘fourth industrial revolution’’, is another influencing factor in the acceleration of change within the labour market, which Rašticová said will ‘‘polarize the labor market and create new inequalities.”
Several professions have lower risk of becoming obsolete. Rašticová explains that “professions that do not require much education but cannot be replaced in any way will not disappear. For example, cleaning services will be very much required in connection with social care services for the elderly. Creative professions will not disappear either.”
While the unemployment rate in the Czech Republic remains low at 4%, the current situation is placing a strain on the Czech government, which is maintaining the low rate through several employment support programs such as antivirus, kurzarbeit, nursing, and rent support.
“Once again, the extensive autumn lockdown will endanger the existence of small and medium-sized enterprises and sole traders, for many of them this situation will lead to liquidation. We expect redundancies in restaurants and hotels, and employees in the tourism industry and the aviation industry will also suffer,” said the sociologist.
Rašticová notes that this period, defined by numerous restrictions and unpopular measures, has brought uncomfortable challenges. However, she emphasises that the discomfort and challenges can undoubtedly be overcome and mastered through digitization and the working from home trend.
