THE FUTURE OF JOBS—AND CAPITALISM? “Training and learning systems will not meet 21st-century demands by 2026.” So states one of the five themes in a new Pew Research Center report, “The Future of Jobs and Jobs Training.” The exhaustive, qualitative survey of leading academics, thinkers and technologists questions not just whether today’s tools are preparing learners for tomorrow’s jobs—but whether there will be any jobs at all.
Many respondents, including danah boyd, suggest that technology is not the issue. The founder of Data & Society says: “I have complete faith in the ability to identify job gaps and develop educational tools to address those gaps. I have zero confidence in us having the political will to address the socio-economic factors that are underpinning skill training.”
With the prospect of a growing population and diminishing jobs, others question whether the capitalism itself is in trouble. Nathaniel Borenstein, chief scientist at Mimecast, offered: “The question isn’t how to train people for nonexistent jobs, it’s how to share the wealth in a world where we don’t need most people to work.”
