In a recent article, futurist, author and keynote speaker John Sanei made some interesting observations on the jobs of the future.

With the rapid pace of technological change disrupting industries faster than ever before, just as a few examples - robotics, 3D printing, the sharing economy etc., it's becoming obvious to many that past trends may no longer be a reliable indicator of future job prospects.

The Agriculture Revolution gave way to the Industrial Revolution with jobs moving to the centres of production. Industry has given way to Information and now Communication with the effect of the stripping of managerial roles – specifically the wiping out of middle management functions. Middle management was once a function of the inefficient flow of information within large organisations. They became the paper managers, recorders, screeners, sifters and gate keepers for the organisation but new technology has made these roles redundant.

As Albert Hammond said in his 1970s song 'Free Electric Band', the aspirational jobs once were, lawyers, doctors and civil engineers. These jobs relied on the fact that information was hard to get and in a format beyond the comprehension of the average person. Today online contracts, legal resources, and legal examples are freely available putting generalist lawyers under pressure. Wearable devices now monitor vital signs and wireless machines can test temperature, blood sugar, blood pressure and pulse oximetry. Generalist Doctors are coming under pressure from the information revolution and artificial intelligence.

John Sanei identified the following examples of future job opportunities:

The rise and rise of the freelancer

There are many predictions of how big this market will be and they all range from between 40% to 55% of the first world working population freelancing in the next 5 years. In Australia the wage award system and penalty rates has driven workers out of full time work into freelancing. Plus, freelancing provides workers with more flexibility and a better work life balance. People working for themselves have very low overheads allowing them to compete with larger organisations for expert skills. The number of skilled tradespeople in full time employment is tiny compared with 20 years ago, all for the same reason.

The rise and rise of the freelancer coach and life coaches.

In order for us to become one person operations, we will need to create our personal brand just like that of a company with methodologies, marketing plans, sales strategies etc. The freelancers of the future need their web and social media presence, they need help planning their micro-businesses so enter the freelancer coach or life coach. Modern pressure on families and workers at all levels has given rise to the life coach. A life coach is a person to bounce ideas off, make suggestions, agree measurements of success, council and provide guidance.

The rise and rise of the team organiser

Organisations will start hiring specialist skill sets on a per project basis. The internet and communication technology is taking out the generalists and replacing them with experts. These are people who understand a subject in enormous detail, can provide direct and accurate advice and then move on to the next project. Somebody in each organisation needs to know who is out there, with the perfect skills to complement the team and planned outcomes. Team Organisers will be those who access specialist skills, plan projects and execute outcomes. They themselves may be freelancers.

Urban farmers

With a growing population and more light being shed on how our food is grown (apples being picked up to 11.

months before we eat them) we will start seeing the rise of urban farmers for better and healthier food. These farmers may be farming on less than an acre, or maybe a few acres, but they grow organically and don't use artificial fertilizers and pesticides as broad-acre farmers do. They supply local farmer's markets that are popping up everywhere.

Longer life planners

Plenty of studies show that with the application of DNA sequencing and bio-printers, our age can be stretched - Google is saying to beyond 150. With this in mind, we will need a brand new way of looking at how to keep living productive lives after the existing retirement age of 65. Gone are the days where people planned for their retirement in terms of living for another 20 years. Now its 30 years or longer. As people are living longer they need to plan for care in their latter years, most of which cannot be provided by the government or family members.

Caregiving

With our dramatically ageing population, we are going to need a lot more carers. Technology will play a part but it's a long a time before a machine will be able to give a person a bath, or talk to them on subjects they are interested in, or take them for a drive. The pressure on families to provide long term care for aging parents means that the employment of carers will be vitally important. The growth in the demand for carers will give rise to a larger number of in-home care providers.

Remote health-care specialist

With the growth of wearable technology, vital sign sensors and high speed internet we will be able to give our doctors more information about our health than ever before – in real time. The normal check-up will become redundant, in addition more consultations with doctors will be on Skype.

Virtual reality designer

Your 65-inch TV is going to look like it's from the Ice Age by the time 2025 comes around – virtual reality will be as normal as our mobile phones and the internet – so the skills to build better virtual reality landscapes and experiences will grow dramatically.

3D print designer

There has been a slow uptake in 3D printers but by 2025 that will all have changed and we will be printing whatever we need at home or at the corner Post Office – and as this industry grows, we will need better and better blueprint designers of anything and everything – i.e. a mug, spoon and eventually parts of your home.

Ambient intelligent technicians

The combination of IoT (internet of things), working from home and our need for hyper-convenience will spur on a whole new field of technicians that can bring these three requirements into our daily lives. For example, one of the jobs the technician might have to do is make sure the carpet you step onto in the morning after waking up is linked to the 3D printer in the kitchen that will print out your mineral tablet for the day, depending on the scan your carpet did of your level of nutrition requirements.

It's your choice to be excited or scared of the future.

Right at Home Australia is your local expert for issues related to caring for your loved one and is dedicated to keeping you informed about home care. Right at Home offers in-home nursing, care and assistance so your loved one can continue living independently and enjoying a vibrant life. Our caregivers are screened, trained and insured prior to entering your home so you can trust us with the caregiving while you focus on your loved one.