JOBS EVERYONE WILL WANT IN 2040

In 2040, the babies born today will be at the start of their careers. Will the job market they face look anything like now? Maybe, maybe not. Automation has already ended millions of manufacturing, food service, and retail jobs, and there’s little doubt that it will eventually reshape every other industry.

Some good news: Research from Oxford University shows there are hundreds of roles that aren’t going anywhere like occupational therapy, choreography, environmental engineering, and mental health counseling, among others.

Some better news: While some jobs will disappear, loads more will be created. In fact, according to a forecast from the Institute for the Future (IFTF), 85% of the jobs in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. Ten years after that, the workforce may be totally unrecognizable. Here’s what the hottest jobs of 2040 could look like.

Robot Mediator: Sure, robots are disrupting some industries. However, in others, they’re actually just making humans better at their jobs. The robots in Amazon’s warehouses, which buzz around the company’s fulfilment centres and help workers find and carry items, is a perfect example. As robot-human partnerships become more common, complications will arise, and this may lead to the invention of new jobs like robot mediator.

Drone Traffic Controller: In 2016, more than 670,000 drones were registered with the federal government. With Amazon and Google testing ways to deliver packages by drone, corporate job openings in this field are an inevitability. By 2040, they’ll need a system that regulates air traffic similar to what airplane pilots use today.

Micro Gig Agents: As the gig economy expands, independent consultants will work alongside a growing number of independent contractors. These people are called “reinventionists” and “micro gig agents,” and they’ll act like talent agents. They will help freelancers find and market their projects