The Future of Work for Veterans - Part 4
In this fourth and final instalment of a four-part series, we will continue to look at the future of work through 2030, and how today’s active duty military and veterans can prepare to be global workplace ready.
The future impact of automation on the workforce
Business and financial software company, Intuit’s 2020 Report reveals some interesting workforce trends that it claims will shape the next decade of work and employment—worldwide.
Intuit says that “Traditional employment will no longer be the norm, replaced by contingent workers such as freelancers, contractors, temps, and part-time workers. The long-term trend of hiring contingent workers will continue to accelerate with more than 80 percent of large corporations planning to substantially increase their use of a flexible workforce.”
The impetus for this trend began with the 2007 – 2008, global economic crisis. It was first thought that workers were underemployed or partially employed because adequate full-time jobs didn’t exist.
Now, the trend continues it seems, because workers enjoy the flexibility of freelance work and self-employment.
As businesses react to this growing trend and convert more positions to contingent contracts for their own reasons, and because of employee demands for flexible work, workers may need to adjust how they view employment.
Why? Intuit posits that contingent workers will exceed 40 percent of the U.S. workforce by 2020.
Welcome to the gig economy
The “gig economy” is real!
We are currently living and working in the gig economy, one in which workers earn a living from multiple employers, entrepreneurship supplemented by part-time work, and freelance jobs.
Intuit estimated the gig economy to comprise 34 percent of American labor in 2010. This number is anticipated to grow to 43 percent of the workforce by 2020.
In the gig economy, employers hire contractors, and short-term workers, create position sharing, and contract with freelancers. And, there is an ever-increasing number of workers available to fill these positions. That’s the gig economy—contingent work and eager contingent workers.
Three tips for surviving and thriving in the gig economy
The gig economy is not going away for the foreseeable future so, here are three tips to excel in this new work environment.
- Create rituals. Choose your time to begin and end work, choose a constant workplace or location to work, and design a cozy, if not claustrophobic workspace. And, implement your rituals daily. A small intimate space where everything is within reach and there are few distractions is ideal.
- Market yourself. Develop and revise your personal marketing strategy on a monthly basis.
- Stay connected. Get out of our home-office-cave or part-time office and network with potential customers and other freelancers.
Visit our job board regularly to find companies that have positions available offering veterans jobs and follow our blog and social media profiles to get news of job fairs in your area.
About the Author: Antoinette Lee Toscano proudly served in the United States Army during the Gulf War era, for eleven years as a database administrator, dental clinic manager, Army recruiter, dental assistant, dental hygienist, and an air assault qualified, expert field medic throughout her military career.
