In Part 2 of the New Normal Working Futures™ Discussion Papers we extend our view beyond the first 90 days of COVID-19 to examine how work, skills development and careers will be affected over the coming 180 days (June to December 2020). The paper examines how the post-lockdown labour market will be so transformed that every organisation, student and worker—employed or unemployed—should adapt their thinking and plan for the new normal.
It is argued the game we play to get educated, find a job and stay employed has new rules. Except for those few who foresaw work’s future, most of us had little understanding or insight into what an agile, distributed workforce would look like. Now we do and we need to be prepared for the increased turbulence and plan to make our own careers more future-proof.
The paper encourages everyone to understand and undertake five mindshifts regarding work, skills and careers:
- A job is a very unreliable way to define our identity and our talents
- Full-time, office-based work with one employer will no longer be the norm
- We need to find our own inner genius
- Qualifications may not make all our capabilities and future potential visible to an employer
- Don’t just find work, find a career and a growing job neighbourhood