People usually have to change careers during their professional lifetimes. This is not because they want to but because they have to. The reason? Technology! You see, the advancement in tech is happening at a quick pace. And because of it, more and more jobs are getting automated. And hence, jobs have started to disappear. For instance, when was the last time you saw an elevator operator? There is no doubt that this rapidly changing technology is threatening to leave a large number of workers out of jobs. However, not all is bad!
New Technology Is Bringing New Opportunities
Yes, tech is eliminating labor jobs. But at the same time, it cannot be denied that it’s creating new employment opportunities as well! There are many new jobs in the market today that didn’t exist before. However, the thing is that the skill they require is much different than the one you acquired in your previous job. If a person is able to move successfully between jobs, then this will not only polish the individual’s existing skills, but they will also attain new ones. And considering how businesses are relying more on centralized hiring, these skills can help you get hired rather quickly.
Role of AI in Identifying New Career Path
Artificial intelligence has taken over the world. Many businesses are incorporating this tech to automate their operations. The Conversation used AI to create a tool that analyzed over 8 million online job ads to figure out which career transitions would be successful. Their system first measured the similarities between the skills required by every job. Then, they used the tool to see which way around the real-world career transitions goes. And at last, their system recommended a career change which is most likely to succeed. Let’s now look at each of these steps in a bit more detail:
#1. Measuring the Similarity of Jobs
The folks at The Conversation created the system which used RCA to know how important individual skill is to a job. Once they have noted how similar different skills are, they got down to estimate how similar different occupations are based on the skills required. When they did this, the group found out that jobs such as an endocrinologist, nurse practitioner, and private tutors are some occupations that are not prone to automation.
#2. Mapping Transitions
After performing the first step, the system then took the measure of similarity between jobs. It is then combined with various labor markets variables such as education and employment levels. This helped in creating an occupation transition recommender system. With the help of machine learning, this system learned from the previous job transitions and then predicted future job movements.
#3. AI-Powered Job Recommendations
When one thinks about changing career, then it will require the person to acquire some skills. But what should those skills be? The Conversation’s system helped define them. For instance, let’s consider the example of domestic cleaners. During the pandemic, the demand for this occupation declined significantly. After all, everyone was locked in their homes, practicing social distancing. And the last thing people wanted was to invite an outsider into their homes. Therefore, the system did its magic, and with the power of AI, it was determined that domestic cleaners should transition to an aged and disabled career as the demand for this occupation soared during that time.
Conclusion
Even though the future of work is not certain, one thing is clear; the technology and economic conditions will continue to introduce new labor demands. This will lead workers to move between different jobs. For instance, if you are an accountant, you can switch to the financial analyst role if the need arises, and a mortgage staffing agency will help you make the switch.
If employees continue to transition smoothly, then there are a lot of equity and productivity benefits for everyone. But if transitions fail or are slow, then this will hurt the workers. Therefore, it’s important to pay heed to the system proposed by The Conversation as it can assist you in making a career shift quite easily.
