The Workforce of Tomorrow Demands a New Mindset

In the new work order, it is predicted young people will have 17 jobs over 5 careers. Instead of focusing on a ‘dream job’, we should advise students to consider skills and capabilities that translate across a range of jobs, writes social entrepreneur Jan Owen.

Globalisation and automation have radically changed the world of work, and linear pathways to work are no longer relevant. New Work Order, a report series by the Foundation for Young Australians, uses big data to understand the future of the job economy.

By analysing job advertisements trends, the report identifies job groups, or ‘job clusters’, with closely related skills and capabilities. It suggests that current systems, including careers education, curriculums and courses, need to focus on helping students build a portfolio of applicable skills and capabilities so they can move between roles.

Discover how effective career advice can better prepare young Australians for the modern workforce.

This article was prepared for Horizon: Thought Leadership, a publication of the Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership, Department of Education and Training, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.