Looking to thrive in our new, post-recession economy? Then it’s
essential to focus on doing work that it would be near-impossible to
program a computer or robot to do.
A fascinating study, published in the Cambridge Journal of Economics in
2012, found that Americans in the creative class — those in jobs such
as engineers, artists, scientists, educators and entrepreneurs— had a
lower chance of being unemployed from 2006 to 2011 than those employed
in the service sector or working class jobs, such as construction or
manufacturing.
Other research has already showed that those with college degrees
fared better than those who lack them in the last recession. This study
looked beyond education levels alone and drilled down into how the jobs
people do and the skills required to do them affected their employment
rates.
Having a college degree alone isn’t a vaccine against unemployment,
as many recent graduates know all too well. As the study shows, those
who are most valued in today’s economy are applying whatever education
they have–whether it’s a high school diploma or a graduate degree — to
fields that require a high degree of knowledge, creativity and human
judgement. The work they do can’t easily be automated.
The study, “The Creative Class and the crisis,” was written by Todd
Gabe at the University of Maine, Richard Florida at the University of
Toronto and Charlotta Mellander of Jönköping International Business School in Sweden.
Even if you’re self-employed, the conclusions are fascinating and offer a road map to economic relevance in the years to come.
Florida, an expert on urban studies, has called the Great Recession
the “Great Reset,” in which the economy made a profound shift toward
favoring “knowledge-based creative activities.” The study suggests that
many of us need to reset our career planning to reflect this dramatic
change.
About 8.4 million jobs in the U.S. disappeared from January 2008 to December 2009, the study notes.
While unemployment rose among all major classes of jobs in the
recession, those in the creative class fared the best. They had an
unemployment rate of 4.1% in 2010 and 2011, after the recession
officially ended, according to the researchers’ analysis of data from
the U.S. Current Population Survey. Before the recession, in 2006 and
2007, their unemployment rate was 1.9%, and during the crisis, in 2008
and 2009, their jobless rate was 3%.
In contrast, those in service class jobs, in fields like retail, had
an unemployment rate of 9.3% in the post-recession years. They had a 5%
unemployment rate before the recession and 6.9% during the recession.
Those in working class jobs in fields such as construction and
manufacturing had an unemployment rate of 14.6% after the recession.
Before the crisis hit, their unemployment rate was 6.5%. During the
recession, it was 11.1%.
Interestingly, those in the creative class had lower likelihood of
unemployment than those with the same level of education who worked in
service and working class jobs.
For instance, unemployment among college-educated members of the
creative classes was 3.2% after the recession, compared to a 5.9%
unemployment rate among college grads in service class careers and 8.7%
among college grads in working class careers.
Among members of the creative class with no college degree, the
post-recession unemployment rate was 5.7%, compared to 10% among service
sector workers and 15.1% among counterparts who also had no college
degree and had previously been employed in working class jobs.
Some of the hardest hit workers, the authors noted, were employed in
fields like construction that suffered severe downturns during the
economic crisis or were based in cities that were disproportionately
affected by the housing bust.
The authors also pointed out that, prior to the Great Recession,
growth of residential and commercial construction fueled expansion of
service sector businesses. When the housing market collapsed, that also
affected service sector jobs that had taken shape in the housing boom.
But they also point to a structural change in the workplace that will
affect many Americans. While companies’ investments in technology in
recent years have complemented the work done by problem-solving creative
workers, tools like computers did not replace what they do. Technology
expanded their reach. However, that was not the case for workers doing
routine jobs that entail following rigid corporate instructions
repeatedly. Computers and other tech tools began replacing some of the
work they do.
The creative class also benefited from another trend that showed up
in the worldwide economic crisis: Their work was not as heavily affected
by export-related conditions as, say, manufacturing workers’ jobs are.
It is more tied to local consumption.
Studies like this have profound implications not just for workers but for both educators and employers.
Many schools still follow an old model focused on preparing workers
for an industrial economy. While well-financed private schools and
wealthy public school districts have for years offered students classes
in disciplines like web design and robotics, many poorly financed
schools lag behind them and miss opportunities to ignite students’
interest in fields like this.
We all need to look at what is being taught in the schools in our
community and make sure it reflects what students need to know today,
not just what mattered 40 years ago. You don’t necessarily need a
college degree to excel in a field like web design, yet we do little to
promote careers like this among high school graduates who aren’t college
bound.
We also need to do more to spread entrepreneurship education, which
is ignored in many schools. Many in the creative classes are
self-employed or run small businesses, from marketing shops to
architecture firms. However, most of us graduate from high school
without a clue as to how to run a business, unless we happened to be
part of a family that owned one.
Entrepreneurs and other employers also need to keep pace with the
changes. The customers of the future will either want products and
services that can be purchased at the rock-bottom prices automation
allows–or offer something special, that only humans can bring. What
types of highly customized service, unique expertise or cutting-edge
skills do you have to offer? Many of us need to be able to answer
questions like these, or we’ll find ourselves sidelined.
Original article from Forbes.com can be found HERE
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