The world of work is changing faster than ever before – 8m jobs could be lost unless we take action NOW
WHAT would really make your job better? Is it just working from home or a legal right to avoid your boss outside of work hours.
Or is it also the ability to have your work recognised in higher pay. To get promoted if you work hard.
To have your leaders invest in making sure you have the skills needed to succeed both now, and in the future.
This question is the right one to ask as the Government sets out new plans today to increase worker rights.
But it also matters because the world of work is changing faster than ever before.
Artificial intelligence is the iceberg on the horizon, it will radically change the way virtually all jobs are done.
And experts estimate that nearly eight million UK jobs could be lost completely if we do not steer the ship now.
Britain is built on hundreds of different trades and workers, from builders to financial services, drivers to nurses.
It would be wrong to assume any of these roles will stay the same as new forms of technology — from robots and self-driving lorries to new types of artificial intelligence — become a reality.
So what rights for workers should we focus on?
Some say a four-day week and the right to switch off are nice to have. Others worry it will make it even less attractive for firms to hire people and create jobs.
Either way, if we focus too much on fixing the problems of yesterday, we risk failing to fix the problems of tomorrow.
Instead, there is another “right” we should prioritise: The right to re-skill.
To get the training needed to embrace technology with excitement, future-proof your career, earn that promotion, or ultimately change career if that is the best option.
The public agrees. Research by the pollster Frank Luntz found that the most important thing firms can do to be good corporate citizens is to “develop and train its workforce for the jobs of the future”.
The good news is that many of the ingredients for a right to re-skill are already on the table
Euan Blair
That is more important than environmental policies or going above and beyond for their workers.
Company bosses also want to do more. Why? Because it is in all of our interests.
Employers like me — I have started a firm that now employs almost 1,000 people — are hunting out ways to invest in employees through new skills, better ways to get the job done, and bigger rewards for hard work.
The good news is that many of the ingredients for a right to re-skill are already on the table.
The first step is improving apprenticeships. They are not just for young people any more.
They are also essential for ensuring people of every age can upskill and get ready for technological change and new jobs.
Economic boost
Firms pay billions each year into a pot to spend on apprenticeships, but struggle to use it.
Keir Starmer wants to make it easier for firms to put that money to use, with shorter, more appropriate courses.
Let’s get on and make it happen, starting with the sectors most crying out for talent, and with a particular focus on digital, data and technology.
Apprenticeships have the huge advantage that they let you learn while getting paid.
You do not need to live on your savings while taking time out of work.
And you apply those skills immediately, on the job.
But it is not just about apprenticeships. We need to ensure there are a wider range of options for people outside of work, too.
Unless you are unemployed, or in school, there is virtually no advice service to help you navigate a career.
A right to re-skill would achieve the Government’s goal of boosting growth
Euan Blair
The Government has promised to create a new body, Skills England, to fix this.
Technology spurs change. But employers — and employees — do not need to stand there and wait for the axe to fall.
A right to re-skill would achieve the Government’s goal of boosting growth, help British companies succeed in an increasingly competitive world and provide workers with the chance to realise their career ambitions.
In fact, the same experts who calculated that nearly eight million jobs are at risk, also assessed that those same changes could instead lead to an economic boost of £300billion a year through higher productivity.
That boils down to giving people the skills to thrive.
We lost a generation of workers in the 1980s as factories and coal mines closed, without providing new career paths. It damaged some communities for decades to come.
We cannot make the same mistake again.