\u201cWhat would you guess is the most common job?\u201d Michael Lai, Outreach Lead at KGI, asked an audience of students at his Columbia Heights TEDTalk back in 2016. His audience members offer a few suggestions. \u201cEngineer?\u201d \u201cFast food workers?\u201d After several failed attempts, Michael puts them out of their misery,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201c3.5 billion truck drivers in the United\u2019s States\u201d he tells them. \u201cExperts predict that in the next 12-15 years, most of the cars on America\u2019s highways will be self-driving\u2026 so what\u2019s going to happen to the most common job?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The future of the job market \u2013 and it\u2019s inherent uncertainty – has been receiving a lot of attention in the international press in recent years, with Universities UK analysis predicting \u201c65% of children entering primary schools today will work in jobs and functions that don\u2019t currently exist.\u201d In previous generations, new graduates could expect to work with the same company for several years, steadily climbing the corporate ladder in a predictable, but reassuring linear way. In the 21st century however, the face of the job market is changing, and once you graduate, you may find yourself looking at a \u201cportfolio career\u201d over traditional career progression – something Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg described as more akin to a career \u201cjungle gym\u201d than a career ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what does all this talk of truck-driving and emergent markets mean for you, the UK Graduate? Well, if the gig economy becomes the norm in the next 10 years, one of the key challenges for new graduates will be the perpetual need to upskill yourself, and market your own skill base to different employers. This puts the spotlight on what have traditionally been referred to as \u201csoft\u201d transferable skills that are required across many different roles and sectors – skills such as resilience, team-working and critical thinking. Here at the Library, we\u2019d argue that information and digital literacy falls under this bracket (well of course we would, we\u2019re librarians!). The ability to find and use information and make considered use of digital tools is an important capability in any graduate job. Don’t just take our word for it – we spoke to several students returning from placement who told us their information skills had helped them get ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n