Advancement in technology is swinging towards automation. With an increase in the level of specification of technology, there is a worldwide concern about the kind of results and social impact we expect from this. Technology has had great advantages for us and it has made things easier. There are immense advantages that come with the automation of services.
- There will be an increase in productivity. It will help in meeting client demands and keeping up with the developments in specific fields.
- Makes product availability. Products and services will be more readily available. Increased availability will increase sales.
- Contributes to the reduction of cost of production. Automation creates faster production which reduces the cost of production by a significant amount.
The overall advantage of automation makes it difficult for people to view advancement in technology as an advantage. There is talk that there will be a loss of jobs as a result of technology, in fact, five million jobs are expected to be lost to automation globally by 2020. This, however, is not true. The cloud will counter the threat of job losses through the creation of new job opportunities and posts. In fact, 80% of the jobs we expect to see as soon as 2025 don’t even exist yet.
According to research conducted by IDC and Microsoft, cloud computing will potentially generate more than 515 000 jobs across key markets in the Middle East and Africa between 2017 and 2022– and these are not confined only to the IT profession. These jobs will span across areas including marketing, sales, finance and administration, production and service.
The new jobs created require new skills, an entrepreneurial approach, flexibility, agility and the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn new skills quickly. Education is the first step in ensuring we are up to the challenge. It’s evident that learning new and more relevant digital skills is vital if we are to survive in a world increasingly steered by technology. The key is to equip ourselves with the skills we need to evolve along with the world of work. You can learn more about becoming a cloud expert here. Career Progression: 10 Skills You’ll Need To Thrive In 2020 – Infographic
Here are some of the job positions that The Cloud has created over the years.
Cloud computing specialist
More than half of US businesses use the cloud. Businesses in the Middle East and Africa aren’t far behind with cloud data centre traffic expected to grow 440% by 2020.
It’s no surprise that cloud computing specialist jobs have seen significant growth Within a time frame of 5 years, (2008-2013), there was a significant growth of 1700%. Hence with these crucial skills, one can take their career to the next level. This was however not so successful in Africa and the Middle East. A percentage of the respondents cited a skills gap as the main barrier to cloud adoption.
To fill this gap, the Microsoft Cloud Society programme was established. The programme offers training, certification opportunities, and face-to-face engagement opportunities to meet with Microsoft cloud experts. The programme is designed to support the region’s aspiring cloud computing specialists to become world-class cloud computing experts. In just over a year since launching, the programme has reached over 100,000 members and has changed the way Microsoft approaches skills-building across the region.
Big data analyst
They collect and interpret large data sets to find insights that give their company a competitive edge. Data analysts are in demand now more than usual due to the growth of data volumes.
Data science has been the best job in the US for three years running, with an average job satisfaction score of 4.2. There is a shortage of data analysts as compared to the growing demand. This presents an opportunity for African citizens to find employment if they are simply able to acquire these much-needed skills.
Ride-sharing driver
The business of taxi hailing has developed beyond what anyone would have thought. Now you can get the services through your phone, critically customize what you want, pay without cash and give instant feedback for the services rendered through ratings. Ride-sharing services have created thousands of job opportunities across the world, serving over eight million users in 70 different countries.
“Companies like Uber and Air BnB are poster children for the sharing economy that wouldn’t be possible without the advances in connectivity, cloud and ‘Software as a Service’ we’ve seen in recent years,” says Jeff Kaplan, Managing director of IT market research company THINK strategies.
Driverless car engineer
The technology that makes autonomy possible is developed through the cloud. Tapping into a remote cloud computing network, cars can talk to each other to avoid accidents, download up-to-date maps and traffic information and make potentially life-saving decisions. Jobs such as this, however, may be temporary. There is a need to keep growing in skill sets to remain relevant.
Education is the first step in ensuring we are up to the challenge. It’s evident that learning new and more relevant digital skills is vital if we are to survive in a world increasingly steered by technology.
