Past, Present & Future

4/8/2019 by Bailey

 

At the beginning of the 20th century, the average person worked 60 hours a week and made less than 1% of today’s income. Forty percent of the labor force were farmers. 56% of families lived in poverty versus 14.5% today. Life expectancy was less than 50 years for men and women. Now the average age of retirement is 63 and the retiree will spend fifteen years enjoying leisure. Cable TV, iPads, cell phones, air conditioning, Internet and microwave ovens did not exist. Today, there are as many cell phones as there are people. The poor live better than the middle class did 100 years ago. We have more leisure time and conveniences. Travel enables exploration of the globe. Uber is just a software tool, does not own any cars, and is the biggest taxi company in the world. The average person spends more than 10 hours daily using iPads, cell phones, personal computers, video games, DVDs, and TVs. About 160 million Americans are either obese or overweight. The economy has strengthened and the pendulum has swung in favor of the employee. By 2020 another 20 million baby boomers will retire and that will add to the gap in talent and skills. There are 5.7 million job openings including 200,000 in construction; 500,000 Job opportunities software engineering and IT roles; 600,000 of high­end manufacturing jobs, and over 700,000 nursing and healthcare positions. Job seekers want higher pay, more time off, and better benefits. Career driven talent wants growth opportunities, empowerment, and flex time. Continual education and training is and will be a key differential for both employee and employer. Over next 20 years, 70+% of existing jobs will disappear due to technology and business evolution. There will be a lot of new jobs. Artificial intelligence will increase and by 2030 computers will become more intelligent than humans. We will have self­driving cars and you will be able to call and have a car available for transportation needs. Today’s infants may never get a driver's license and own a car. More solar energy was installed worldwide last year than fossil; electricity will become cheaper and cleaner. IoT (Internet of Things), robotics, 3D printing and other technology advancements will change the world. And if all this sounds strange, then ask IBM’s Watson for advice on anything from legal and technology to cancer research and energy management.