These 7 technology trends will have the biggest impact on the jobs of the future

The sudden arrival of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney has got millions of workers wondering how their jobs and livelihoods might be impacted. While AI is currently dominating the headlines, other technology shifts are going on in the background that will also have a major influence on how we work in the future.

The global recruitment firm Manpower Group has identified seven tech trends it says will have the biggest impact on the future of jobs.

The trends in the Manpower report reflect the findings of the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023. Technology is the key driver of business transformation that will disrupt much of what we take for granted about the world of work, it says.

The “increased adoption of new and frontier technologies and increased digital access … are also expected to drive job growth in more than half of surveyed companies. However, this is offset by expected job displacement in one-fifth of companies, with the remaining respondents expecting the impact on employment to be roughly neutral”, says the report.

As our workplaces head ever deeper into the digital age, these are the seven technologies a new Manpower report says will have the greatest impact on the jobs of the future.

The increasing digitization of business is driving change for many workers, according to the IT World of Work 2023 Outlook. It says 70% of organizations are already exploring the creation of a digital twin to simulate processes and speed up service.

And some 700 million workers could be using metaverse technologies including virtual and augmented reality by 2030. This dash to digital is increasing the demand for IT talent and driving the need for continuous upskilling of the workforce.

The report notes that adoption of AI in the workplace is accelerating, with more than 50% of organizations saying they are using it in at least one part of their operations, according to McKinsey data. It points out that the implications of AI on the workforce could be dramatic, but they are not yet fully understood. Meanwhile, growing use of AI is increasing demand for machine learning talent, data scientists and natural language engineers.

In our increasingly connected world, business is reaping the benefits of smart buildings, automated maintenance and smart metres.

The Manpower report predicts there will be 30 billion connected devices by 2030. This shift is creating a greater need for solutions architects and Internet of Things (IoT) engineers, and could lead to a $58 billion market for IT services related to IoT by 2025.

Software innovations are speeding up coding and the time to market. Low-code and no-code software development is widening access to these types of jobs. The Manpower report says 70% of software will be developed this way by 2025. Software testing is also a strong growth sector for workers. These shifts are increasing the demand for workers with IT skills and quality assurance backgrounds.

According to Manpower, 50% of all high-end computing operations will be cloud-based by 2025. Amazon, Microsoft and Google are the leading cloud providers but smaller private operators are joining the market. The report highlights that 70% of CIOs believe there is a skills gap in the cloud computing sector, which will mean continuing strong demand for people with experience in this area.

The rewards of a digital workplace come with a growing risk of cybercrime. Organizations will need to shore up their defences to protect their data and reputations. AI is increasingly being used to bolster cyber defences. The Manpower report says 73% of businesses are increasing their spend on zero-trust technology to protect data. There is currently a global shortage of talent in cybersecurity, so gaining these skills could be rewarding for workers. Companies will need to retrain and upskill existing employees.

For many organizations, automation of repetitive processes is central to their digital transformation projects. The Manpower report predicts the global robotics sector will be worth up to $260 billion by 2030 and that automation will save businesses $55 billion annually by 2025. Demand for workers with skills in robotics is increasing – but workers replaced by the automation of their jobs will need training and upskilling so they can compete for new roles.