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How Work, Workers and the Workplace May Change in Future
Paul Heng
Founder and Managing Director
NeXT Career Consulting Group
When coaching senior leaders, who are mostly in their late 40s and 50s, we always begin with looking at things from 30,000 feet above – we begin with the end in mind, i.e. where they are going with their lives. We talk about what they have done, what they are doing today, and what they would ideally want to do. I use the word “ideally” deliberately as it may not be possible at times to go to where we want to go, and to do what we want to do. Many of my coachees do not have a life plan – they drift along, many of them live their lives going where their bosses want them to go, and doing what the businesses require them to do.
I usually challenge them – each of us has only one life, don’t you want to live your life the way you want to, and to do the things you want to do? At the end of our lives, I assume most of us would like to have lived a life of minimum regrets. For this to have a better chance of happening, we need to plan. “It is an irony, isn’t it,” I tell them, “that you plan so well for your business, but you don’t plan for your own life and your family?”
It is a fact that work and our careers take up a huge portion of our lives. We spend many hours each day doing work of some kind. For the majority of us, we would be working for someone and earning a monthly wage.
In the foreseeable future, I believe that work and our careers will continue to consume a large part of our lives.
State of our current employment scene
There are at least four key challenges that, I suspect, are keeping our Manpower Ministry officials up at night – the ageing population, underemployment, structural unemployment and the “foreign talent” issue.
The Straits Times reported on 21 October 2014 (“Graduate employment: degrees of relevance”) that graduates in Singapore could no longer bank on a degree to guarantee them a good job, and the prospect of under-employment was going to be a problem our future generation will have to grapple with.
Perhaps intentionally or by sheer clever journalistic wisdom, the Straits Times editorial on the same page that day was on “Helping seniors to remain engaged”. It reiterated, yet again, the lacklustre support of employers for the government’s call to extend the employment of employees who reached the official retirement age.
We must have more women in our workforce, regardless of whether they are in business, self-employment, welfare organisations or politics.
In fact, we need to have a mindset change and see talent as just that – with no differentiation between genders. There will be no more talk about the ‘glass ceiling’, (not enough) women in senior leadership positions and in the boardroom, among others. Each and every individual will be valued. In other words, we will have gender equality.
On the home front, societal norms predominantly still see the male partner of the family as its head, whose key task is to put food on the table, and the female partner playing the role of caregiver. However, the reality today is that there is an increasing number of families where the female partner brings home a larger piece of the bacon.
My wish is to see a quicker evolution of gender equality – where both parents partake (equally) in the bringing up of their young ones and in the minding of their elderly parents. As a society that claims to be a progressive one, both parents should share equal responsibilities, on both financial and non-financial fronts. This joint responsibility is independent of their earning power. This will encourage and enable more mothers to return to the workforce and help to alleviate the challenges of an ageing workforce.
Many Singaporeans have publicly and privately expressed their disapproval of having too many foreigners working among them. The fact remains that Singapore has been reliant on and will continue to rely on foreign talent who bring a global mindset to doing business in Singapore. We do have our limitations – the key is finding the right balance in granting professional employment passes.
As Singapore’s leaders, employers and workers look ahead confidently to the next 50 years, it would be appropriate to focus on a couple of key areas related to employment, talent management and employability, which are intertwined and overlap with all the four areas mentioned above.
New breed of corporate creatures
In future, the war for talent in Singapore looks set to intensify. The birth statistics do not seem to suggest that we will be having a baby boom anytime soon. Perhaps this is one of the challenges of a fast-developing country, with couples firmly fixated with climbing up the corporate ladder, and earning sufficient income to sustain their preferred lifestyles.
While this may be the case, workers should not rest on their laurels and wait for employers to come a-calling. They have to be proactive in managing their careers and do everything within their power to stay employable.
Some key attributes will help workers to survive the changes in the business world and workplace.
Flexible mindset
Increasingly, we need to have a mindset that embraces diversity and cultural sensitivity, continuous learning and upgrading, and being comfortable with ambiguity in a situation.
We live and work in a borderless world. Having colleagues from different backgrounds and cultures has become the norm. This looks set to continue. Those who will do well will be those who are able to set aside their preferences and accept others for what and who they are, warts and all. There are few jobs in the world that do not require you to work and interact with others. Having self-awareness and empathy for others is a pre-requisite for success in life. Working in teams, both real and virtual, will continue to be the prevailing mode of work.
Continuous learning
Most businesses have a budget for learning and development – this means there is always a cap. It will not be possible for every worker to be given a part of this budget for continuous learning and personal development. Increasingly, workers will have to be prepared to fork out their own money. They will have to see this as an investment in their future employability and not as an expense.
Virtual learning has taken over many aspects of training and development. The Khan Academy, for example, offers over 3,500 educational videos online globally. Some renowned universities such as Princeton University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University and the University of Michigan are providing online courses.
According to Peter Cappelli, the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, there are two main reasons why companies are facing a shortage of skilled workers. First, the tendency for companies to (try to) hire key talent who possess specific skills and experience, and secondly, they rely on just training and development strategies to close the skills gap.
He says that companies should help workers build those skills and gain experience not just through raining and development, but also by creating project roles and experiences, and providing on-the-job-training and mentoring.
Adversity quotient
It is relatively easy to manage in a business that is moving northwards. However, given the fast-paced and ever-changing world, those who are able to manage adversities well will also be in demand.
We experienced a national crisis in 2003 when SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) struck our country and the region. Businesses and our daily life were severely affected. Some businesses had to cease operation. The leaders that succeeded in overcoming the unprecedented challenges could not rely on their past experiences, as there was none of the same magnitude to fall back on. One thing is for sure though, those who had managed to pull through that crisis emerged stronger, more resilient and better able to manage adversities, in their careers or life in general.
Technology application
Technology rules the world. There is no running away from it, and the only way we can continue to do well is to embrace it with open arms. The banking sector, for example, has continued to evolve, and technology is in the centre of it all. “Digitisation” is the keyword here, and we even have supercomputers that can ‘think’ like humans. I can think of two big companies that have partnered with IBM to use Watson, IBM’s big-data service.
DBS Bank has invested in Watson to better understand its customers’ behaviours, and to introduce cutting-edge banking products and services to better serve, attract and retain customers. In the health science industry, Johnson & Johnson is using Watson to discover new drugs. What is next is anyone’s guess. However, one thing is certain – ignore technology, for fear or whatever reason, at your own peril. You are very likely to be left behind in the dust.
Issues for Singaporeans to ponder over
Types of employment
Increasingly, I see two different types of workers. One is the traditional worker who still sees these job characteristics as important in their careers – career path, job security, predictable income and a “work hard” mentality. When I begin working, I will find a good job, work hard and be loyal; in return, I will be paid a decent wage, enjoy job security and have a good work-life balance. I will retire when I reach the mandatory retirement age. This pretty much sums up what used to be the mindset of a worker.
The business world has become a lot more complicated. Changing business needs, increasing customer expectations and other changes require companies to be agile and nimble to react to them. More often than not, their responses result in job losses. Life-long employment or the ‘iron rice bowl’ has been a thing of the past, and I don’t think it will ever return.
A new breed of workers is emerging – I call them the portfolio professionals. They are self-employed and offer their expertise and services to whoever wish to engage them. This pool of workers will eventually constitute a large proportion of the local workforce. Self-employment – be it by those who provide services to others or entrepreneurs who manage their own businesses - will increasingly be the norm.
Resumes will become redundant. More “LinkedIn”-type networking platforms will come into being. Besides a summary of a person’s key competencies, each profile will come with a video clip of him or her doing a self-marketing pitch.
Technology-based tools will be used to evaluate the suitability of candidates for jobs. For example, sophisticated – it may be more of a norm in future – assessment tools will be used to make a hiring decision by evaluating the candidate’s level of motivation, skills set and even personal values. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter may become primary sources of information about candidates.
The days of the recruiters and head-hunters may well be numbered.
Workplace
Going to the office to work will increasingly be the exception rather than the rule. Work will be done from home, at the cafe and anywhere instead of the office. With rewards and compensation being based on KPIs (key performance indicators), this workplace will increasingly be common. This likely change calls for a mindset shift and supervisors need to ‘let go’ and be much more trusting of their staff. In any case, the ’checks-and-balances’ are in the deliverables.
Massive rental savings will be possible from relatively smaller-sized offices. Landlords of office units will have to deal with this major shift.
Vanishing jobs
Two Oxford University professors, Carl Benedict Frey and Michael A. Osborne, recently published a study report, which predicted that up to 50% of jobs in the US might become redundant. I am unaware of any similar study in Singapore. However, I am sure there will be jobs here that will vanish in future.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist David Autor suggested that jobs that consist of tasks that are repetitive and routine in nature are the ones most at risk of disappearing. While I agree, I am also of the opinion that some of the “repetitive and routine” jobs will be around for a while longer in Singapore at least.
Three examples I can think of are the ‘kopitiam’ table cleaner, road sweeper and personal assistant/secretary. Logically and objectively, the last role should have been made redundant, given that most bosses now write their own emails, buy their own drinks and make their own travel bookings. The only reason why such a job has survived all these years is perhaps status symbol. “My PA Sherry will set up a meeting for us to discuss further” conveys a ‘higher status’ than “I will send you an e-meeting invite”.
About a decade ago, many businesses stopped employing a receptionist to greet visitors. Instead, they provided a phone and a list of staff with their extension numbers. The visitor dialled the number of his host, who came to greet him at the door. The day will come when the receptionist, along with the secretary and personal assistant, will also disappear from the payroll.
Want to watch a movie? You go online to book your tickets and receive an email to confirm your booking, together with a digicode. You scan the code when you enter the cinema hall. The days of the ticketing staff at the counter and even those who help you scan the code will also disappear.
Bank counter staff will also be at risk, given the advent of digitisation.
What other jobs are at risk? It may be a shorter list if we prepare one with the jobs that are unlikely to disappear. Executive and career coaches could be included, along with doctor, dentist, lawyer and other professional jobs. But you will never really know. Not so long ago, recruiters were a panicky lot, wondering if their jobs would be taken over by online job portals. Fortunately for them, it turned out to be a false alarm.
Perhaps John Maynard Keynes’ quote – written in 1930 – is apt here:
“We are being afflicted with a new disease of which some readers may not yet have heard the name, but of which they will hear a great deal in the years to come – namely technological unemployment. This means unemployment due to our discovery of means of economising the use of labour outrunning the pace at which we find new uses of labour.”
On the flip side, new industries will emerge and have emerged. An example is that of “teleradiology”, where radiologists receive digital images of X-ray and various test results, analyse them and provide diagnostic support to their counterparts and doctors, who may be located anywhere in the world and working in different time zones.
Challenges for Singapore
Unless we suddenly discover oil underground, human resource will remain the key resource that Singapore can depend on.
With an ageing population, Singapore will face unprecedented challenges, not just in business, but socially as well. Employers will have limited options that make business sense – they will have to extend the employment of qualified workers who have reached the statutory retirement age. I foresee that the government will have to introduce legislation to make this happen, which may not be a good thing for Singapore as this will dampen the spirit of a free economy that hitherto we have been operating under.
The possibility of Singapore having a relatively larger pool of workers who are structurally unemployable is real.
Knowledge and skills sets that are deemed relevant in the current business world may not necessarily be true given the constant changes. And technology will be the main cause. Structural unemployment happens when knowledge and skills set gained from past experiences become redundant and are no longer applicable. For example, the ability to write code syntax for creating Android apps is very likely going to be irrelevant at the wink of an eye – the job may well be taken over by computers.
From a business perspective, a visit to the ninth floor of Orchard Cineleisure will provide ample proof of this new reality. There rows of LAN gaming machines sit idle – the result of much faster Internet download speed available through optical fibre in homes – as fewer people now need to patronise such gaming outlets.
Workers must embrace the concept of investing in their personal development. Employers would have to continue to be creative in introducing schemes to support those who may not be able, due to financial or other legitimate reasons, to make such an investment. Co-payment of course fees could be one possible option. Other avenues, such as mentoring and on-the-job training, could also be considered. The problem is time – board members and shareholders are usually an impatient lot.
The NTUC has recently called on the government to consider the concept of a portable worker-owned training fund. With the government continuing to play a key role, Singapore should have an adequate number of skilled workers (both local and foreign) to drive the much-needed productivity and GDP growth required for our economy. Bite the bullet it must, the current furore of “foreign talent taking away our rice bowls” will not go away. The challenge, therefore, is to strike a balance between locals and foreigners, failing which the added challenge of under-employment will worsen.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Economic Development Board (EDB) will experience challenges in creating sufficient number of jobs for the lowskilled and unskilled workers. New industries will have to be created – akin to what we had done with the integrated resort concept. This is easier said than done. Tough decisions will have to be made – as evidenced by the colourful and passionate debates that surfaced after the decision was made. EDB has been reported to be targeting the advanced manufacturing industry next.
Wage disparity will inevitably be created, leading to social divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’. This is another serious issue that needs to be addressed.
The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) will be further challenged in having to introduce more job-specific training for workers, especially those who are low-skilled. Due to the longer-term implications of employment-related challenges for the government, WDA may have to be spun off as a separate ministry to address them, and report directly to the Prime Minister.
Being successful
It is useful to begin with the end in mind whenever we set out to do something. At the end of the day, working to earn a wage is a means to an end. We want to live a good, meaningful and purposeful life. In many respects, this represents success in life.
Being successful should ideally be defined by oneself. Having said this, however, societal expectations and pressure are inevitable. As far as possible, we should seek happiness in whatever we do. To attain this, we need to be passionate about what we do. In the years to come, my wish is for more Singaporeans to be able to take charge of their careers, and to live their lives the way they want to, as practically as possible.
For this to happen, we have to plan for our lives. The worst thing that can ever happen to any able-bodied person is to live a life that is of no consequence to others – I dare not even imagine how that might feel.
Experimenting with lab worms, lead scientist Dr Pankaj Kapahi from the Buck Institute of Age Research, Novato, California reported a synergistic five-fold increase in their life span. If human genes were to be similarly tweaked, we are potentially looking at a life span of over 500 years! This may be a farfetched possibility, but looking at 150 years might be a real possibility. The implication here is that we are looking at extending the tenure of our active life span.
Many of us plan ahead as part of our corporate jobs. It would be really ironic if we do not plan for our own lives.
About the author
Paul Heng has been managing his boutique career and executive coaching services firm NeXT Career Consulting Group in Singapore for the past 16 years. It provides support to corporate clients in Asia. Paul has a portfolio career that allows him to pursue business development, voluntary work as well as fun activities. He is a past president of the Rotary Club of Bugis Junction and an active Rotarian. He is also a supporter and fund raiser for the Care Corner Orphanage in Chiangmai, Thailand. Paul is an avid writer who contributes regularly to the press and is a published book author (‘Jump Start your Career’, Prentice Hall).
As a Singaporean, Paul shares his views and expert knowledge with fellow Singaporeans on topics related to professional human resource, life/career planning/ management, leadership coaching and customer service through various media channels. Besides contributing his ideas to this SG50 book project, he has a cameo role in the SG50 movie “1965”. He travels extensively for business and leisure. He and his wife Jane have two adult children.
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