The Future of Work: A Conversation
The way we work is changing — and raising a whole new set of challenges for the next generation of American workers.
We’ve gathered a curated collection of solutions around the future of work.
Earlier this month, Village Capital joined with US Senator Mark R. Warner, Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation, and a group of 30 entrepreneurs, investors, foundations and policymakers to identify some of the problems stemming from the changing nature of work, and to begin to work out solutions.
As Jean Case wrote recently in Forbes,
Whether we like it or not, the way we work is changing. The increasing ubiquity of the Internet, the constant presence of mobile devices, the growth of the “app economy” and a rising generation of workers insisting on aligning their values with their jobs is forever changing the nature of work. The labor force of the future will be more flexible, more freelance, more mobile and more collaborative. It will also be more insecure.
According to various estimates, anywhere from 600,000 to 14.4 million people are working in “gig economy” jobs — drivers, personal assistants, programmers — where a steady paycheck is far from guaranteed, and benefits are even less likely. A recent study by the Federal Reserve revealed that nearly half of Americans could not come up with $400 in an emergency — and that number is likely to increase.
We recognize that in order to make the “gig economy” work for everyone, we’ll need to combine solutions from two unlikely but important bedfellows: entrepreneurs and policymakers.
We’re continuing that conversation online, right here, and we invite you to join us.
To start: one problem that we discussed was the mismatch between education and skills. In a few years, the landscape of jobs will look entirely different than it does today — with some low-skill jobs being automated, and other high-skill jobs only now being dreamed up in laboratories and co-working spaces. These new jobs will require new skills — and not necessarily the ones being taught in public school today.
Yet public policy incentivizes traditional higher education. Students can get federal financial aid, such as Pell Grants, for universities but cannot get assistance going through coding academies such as General Assembly, which might help you get a job of the future but are cost-prohibitive for most.
What can we do about it? Again, the solution needs to come from both entrepreneurs and shapers of public policy.
One entrepreneur addressing this problem is Jonathan Finkelstein, the founder of Credly. The service allows users to collect and display digital credentials to hiring managers — whether that’s a coding boot camp or a certificate program. It’s a complete reimagining of how we value the formal and informal learning experiences that contribute to a worker’s skill set.
From a policy perspective, our government should rethink new and non-traditional educational opportunities. For example, if the Department of Education is now experimenting with General Assembly, why can’t Pell Grants be available for people seeking to code? Or why can’t government lead the way in leveling the playing field by helping employers assess ability to do the job (rather than the out-dated resume)?
These ideas are just a starter — what do you think? Share one problem around the future of work, and a solution, below!
