Future of Work and Jobs in 2040

Nikolas Badminton was interviewed by Marianne Powers on the Future of Work and Jobs in 2040 for the Sunday Telegraph two-page spread that explored the future of work and jobs as we look out to the year 2040.

Image: Sunday Telegraph / Pressreader

You can view the full online article here, and do reach out to Chief Futurist Nikolas for more insights and the full article.

10 Future Jobs for 2040

We are seeing a seismic shift in the world that will define the future of work. As a Futurist, researcher and speaker Nikolas Badminton often speculates what might come to pass. These speculations help us shift our mindsets from what is to WHAT IF… so we can explore our futures together.

So, let’s set our sights on a future horizon of 2040 and we can wonder what the future of work and the future of jobs for our children may be. The world may feel and look the same but underneath we’ll need people to transition to new careers to support the hyper-fast, data-obsessed world. Let’s take a look at the Future of Work and Jobs in 2040

• Human-centred Designers and Ethicists – Progressice designers will become more important as more technology comes into every part of our lives from education to work and the home. Also, major parts of government, especially municipal and provincial, will be redesigned around citizen empowerment and transparency. It will be these Human-centred Designers and Ethicists that will take on Big Tech and also be embedded in these companies trying to colonize our world with new ways to engage and communicate.

• Artificial Intelligence Psychologists – Machine Learning, smart devices and robotics will be so prevalent in society that these will soon become sentient and feel like we do – very complicated. Professional psychologists will step up to upskill to understand the nuances of artificial intelligence and how machines learn. Our toasters may need help, and we’ll be there for them. 

• Metaverse Architects – WE will need visionaries that rethink connection and avatar lives in the new 8G ultra-fast wireless infrastructure and immersive mixed reality headsets. We’ll need Metaverse Architects and designers of persistent online-offline world experiences for large tech companies, governments, tech platforms and advertising agencies. Ready Player One? Ready player 9 billion.

• Activist Artists and Creators – in 2040 cable television will be dead and art plus content plus experience will be everything. We will have an unstoppable, vibrant and exciting community of artists building ecosystems of video  and content creators boosting views to create activist movements. Offline entertainment like theatre, dance, street art, fine artists and live music will be having a renaissance. It will bind together society and create purpose behind life in an ever-increasingly connected world and take on governments and big business alike.

• Data Economy Coaches – as we start to own more of our data and get serious about our online identities and the data we generate. We will be able to broker our data and choose to make money from that – like making money from drug trials but safer (we hope). There will be people and companies helping people with their ‘Personal Data Brokerages’.

• Online and local entrepreneurs building their businesses selling services and products online from Canada but with worldwide reach. They’ll use local and international freelancers to help build their businesses. 

• Data Scientists – BY 2040 data will be created at over 200 petabytes per year with over 8000 digital data interactions pers person – one every 10 seconds or so. Every company will need teams of high trained data scientists to help them explore opportunities in the data they have and empower their employees and customers.

• Cybersecurity and Misinformation Mavens – with a hyperconnected world comes risk of cyberattacks and digital domains being breached. The backroom teams of cybersecurity experts will be augmented with misinformation scholars to ensure privacy, security and safety for all. These will be the best paid jobs in organizations in the late-2030s and throughout the 2040s.

• Healthcare Professionals for Biohackers – Longevity becomes a top concern for the ultra-wealthy as the average age of those with over $10m in earnings skyrickets to 130 years old. There will be specialist hospitals with enthusiastic doctors, nurses, surgeons, and R&D capabilities looking at how everything from implantable tech and cybernetics to psychedelics and diet ensure a longer life for those that can afford it.

What do you think? Are we missing anything from the list? What will you be doing in our new world of 2040, and what will your kids be doing?

Time will tell.

About Nikolas Badminton

Nikolas Badminton is the Chief Futurist at futurist.com and a world-renowned futurist speaker, strategic foresight consultant, futurist author, researcher, and media producer. He helps trillion-dollar companies, progressive governments and the media shift their mindset from “what is” to “WHAT IF…” The result is empowered employees, new innovative products and incredible growth that leads to more revenues and a more resilient future.

Nikolas advised Robert Downey Jr.’s team for the ‘Age of A.I.’ documentary series, starred in ‘SMART DRUGS – a Futurist’s journey into biohacking’, and features on CTV, Global News, Sirius XM regularly. His mind-expanding research and opinion can be found on BBC, VICE, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Techcrunch, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Forbes, Sputnik and Venturebeat. 

Nikolas provides the opening chapter – ‘Start with Dystopia’ in a new book – ‘The Future Starts Now: Expert Insights into the Future of Business, Technology and Society’ on Bloomsbury. His new book ‘Facing Our Futures’ is due out in 2022 on Bloomsbury and equips executives and world leaders with insights and foresight tools to imagine disruption, strengthen strategic planning, and see unforeseen risks.

Nikolas is a Fellow of The Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce – The RSA. The organization has been at the forefront of significant social impact for over 260 years with notable past fellows including Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, Stephen Hawking, Nelson Mandela, and Tim Berners-Lee.