The Year in Review: The changing nature of jobs

It has been a roller-coaster year when it comes to jobs, talent and skills.

A depressed economy in 2019 has meant job losses galore while the rapid pace of technological change has meant evolution in the skills needed.

Nothing can capture the changing world better than the way job titles have been changing. The oddest of jobs got posted online. Companies were looking for Chief Storytellers, Happiness Executives and Chief Purpose Officers, among other things.

On the gig economy front, a host of new professions opened up showing how the world is changing, how people are not scared to take the plunge into new — even risky — domains.

A BCG report ‘What’s Trending in Jobs and Skills’ that analysed online job postings found that among the fastest growing jobs — especially conducive to gig work — were child-care workers, English language and literature teachers.

Among the top skills that were mentioned in online job postings were customer service, artificial intelligence, IoT and behaviour analysis. Among the declining jobs it listed telemarketers, loan interviewers, tellers and administrative support workers, finding that these were being replaced by digital assistants.

Meanwhile, LinkedIn’s Emerging jobs in 2020 report for India puts blockchain developer at the top of the list and Artificial Intelligence specialist next.