Looking for a career change? These are some of the jobs of the future

by Admin
November 20, 2024

As technology evolves, it might not come as a surprise to learn there’s expected to be strong demand for artificial intelligence engineers in the next 10 years.

There’s also forecast to be rapid growth in the clean energy workforce, science industry and healthcare and disability sector.

And while 90 per cent of future jobs will need post-secondary qualifications, many of them don’t require a university degree.

AI engineers

Artificial Intelligence (AI) engineers are responsible for developing tools to use AI. (Unsplash: Lucian Novosel)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) engineers are responsible for developing tools, systems and processes to enable the application of artificial intelligence in real-world contexts.

Workforce size: 41 people
Working age: 88 per cent aged 25 – 44
Share of female: 12 per cent

Electric vehicle technician

Electric car is plugged to a charging station — Technicians can specialise in repairing and maintaining electric vehicles.(Getty: SimonSkafar)

They specialise in repairing and maintaining electric vehicles, diagnosing and fixing problems, and perform routine maintenance tasks such as tire rotations.

Workforce data is not available for this role due to small number of Australians reporting during the Census period.

Music therapist

Guitars and other instruments — Music therapy is the clinical use of sounds to reduce stress. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

Music therapists plan and deliver music therapy interventions to improve physical, psychological, cognitive, or behavioural skills and function.

Workforce size: 414 people
Working age: 61 per cent aged 25 – 44
Share of female: 71 per cent

Quantum computing scientist

A closeup photo of a computer chip — Quantum computer scientists undertake research on computational systems.(Supplied: UNSW)

They undertake research on computational systems that rely on quantum mechanics and help design, test and implement quantum technologies.

Workforce size: 54 people
Working age: 83 per cent aged 25 – 44
Share of female: 11 per cent

Battery design engineer

a factory with workers and a big battery — Battery design engineers are responsible for designing the battery cells.(ABC News: Emilia Terzon)

Battery design engineers are responsible for designing the battery cells, modules and packs that power everything from electric vehicles to portable electronics.

Workforce size: 185 people
Working age: 65 per cent aged 25 – 44
Share of female: 11 per cent

NDIS support coordinator

NDIS support coordinators work with clients to help them understand their plan. (ABC News: Evan Young)

NDIS support coordinators work with clients to help them understand their NDIS plan, coordinate and plan support and provide coaching and capacity building for independence.

Workforce size: 1,260 people
Working age: 56 per cent aged 25 – 44
Share of female: 82 per cent

The Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) report has identified 37 emerging roles across Australia in four key categories: Net Zero, Health, Care and Medical, Data and Technologies, and Science and Engineering.

JSA advises the federal government on the country’s skills and workforce needs.

Released annually to give a national view of the current and future shape of Australia’s workforce, the JSA report provides a detailed look at Australia’s workforce landscape, with a focus on future skills, opportunities and challenges.

The biggest area of growth is expected to be in the healthcare and social assistance industry, with federal government data revealing employment is projected to grow by sixteen per cent over the next five years.

The number of online job postings for a music therapist — where a person can earn between $800 and $2,000 a week — grew nearly fourfold between 2018 and 2022.

Meanwhile online job ads for NDIS Support Coordinators have almost doubled over the same five years.

Experts say a lot of new roles are also emerging in technology.

“Cloud developer, solutions architect, automation engineer, machine learning engineer are the words of the 21st century in lots of ways and they are being reflected in job ads and we are seeing,” JSA Commissioner Professor Barney Glover said.

Woman with dark curly shoulder length hair and light brown skin sits in front of a laptop in an office late at night — Experts say there are a lot of new roles also emerging in the technology space.(Getty: Tom Werner)

There is expected to be rapid growth in the clean energy workforce in the near future, largely thanks to the Albanese Government’s commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The new report shows nine emerging roles in this area, mostly related to new fuels and storage, transport and energy performance.

Electric vehicle technicians had the highest number of online job ads, with more than 1,700 job postings.

JSA expects the demand for specialist electric vehicle mechanics will increase, as will the demand for mechanics to work across both vehicle types.

Report highlights gender gaps

The report aims is to better support job seekers, students and career advisors and understand where there might be gaps with pay and gender.

“We already have fewer women as AI engineers than we would want and that is an area where we would go back into the education system and schools to say ‘This is an emerging and exciting opportunity and we need to encourage more young women to consider a pathway, in particular into AI engineering’,” Professor Glover said.

“But there are some parts of the world that have more balance, so we need to understand why some countries are better at attracting women into those particular occupations that are emerging, than others.”

Don’t think of post-school study as ‘only university’

The latest JAS report estimates more than 90 per cent of employment growth over the next ten years will be in jobs that need post-secondary qualifications — but that doesn’t necessarily mean a university degree.

“What’s clear is that we need to stop thinking about post-school study in terms of only university,” Professor Glover said.

“Half of what people will need to know for the jobs of the future is going to be taught in vocational education and training.”

He said more women should be encouraged to consider vocational education and training pathways because of how important it will be in future.

“We need to encourage young people to look at VET pathways and opportunities to do vocational education and training.

“We absolutely need more trades people.”