Two-Thirds Of Young Aussies Are Studying For Jobs That Robots Will Be Doing In A Decade

Some real talk from the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA).

A new report by the FYA has found that more than 70 per cent of young Australians are entering careers that will “either look very different or be completely lost” in the next two decades, thanks to automation.

That means, robots are literally coming for our jobs.

According to PriceWaterhouseCooper, the roles most likely to be taken over by automated machinery are those of bookkeepers, checkout operators, office administrators, wood machinists, financial and insurance administration workers and farm, forestry and garden workers.

Though the FYA’s report certainly has a very end-of-days, “Skynet’s gone live” kind-of feel to it, the FYA insist their intention is to inspire a “comprehensive national investment in young Australians” that’ll prepare the next generation and protect them from unemployment.

FYA’s CEO Jan Owen AM said, in a statement, “Australia is already facing the challenge of an ageing population and the subsequent shrinking workforce and if our nation is going to overcome these challenges, young people must be given the opportunity to drive the economy forward.”

“Around one in three young people are currently unemployed or underemployed in Australia. As more entry levels jobs go in the coming decades, the chances for young people to get a foothold in the labour market will continue to shrink,” she added.

“We need to provide our young people with a different set of skills – to allow them to navigate their way through a diverse employment journey that will include around five career changes and an average of 17 different jobs. We must start thinking differently about how we back young people for the jobs and careers of the future, so they don’t get stuck in the past.”

Yes, that’s right. “Around five career changes and an average of 17 different jobs.” So, even if you’re among the 30 per cent of young Australians working a career that’s suited to our future, computer-ruled dystopia, you’ll still likely move from job to job in a way your parents never did.

But it's not all bad.

“If we equip our young people with the right set of skills, a thirst for innovation, and the ability to collaborate, we can ensure they take our nation’s economy in a positive direction and build the kind of lives and society for themselves we would all hope for our children,” Ms Owen advises.

Or, more bluntly: start studying up your STEM subjects, like science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

If you’re more creatively inclined, perhaps you might want to start tinkering away on that sci-fi screenplay about a future ruled by machines. Seems like it might be popular in the next decade or so.