A recent article by Lora Kelly of the New York Times describes what is now referred to as “new collar” jobs. Of course, we are all familiar with what we refer to as being blue collar, white collar, pink collar and green collar. “New collar” jobs are described as those that require advanced skills but not necessarily advanced degrees, especially in emerging high-tech fields like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, electric vehicles and robotics. Kelly also notes that there are real fears that workers will lose jobs to technology, especially artificial intelligence, in the coming years. However, there are others who see numerous future opportunities for the labour force.
Even with these new technologies in what is called the new industrial revolution, there will always be a need for highly skilled workers to maintain and adapt technologies in each industry. Conversely, while there is this emerging demand, numerous companies and governments are having trouble filling many of these new collar jobs. This lack of supply is partly because of outdated criteria which requires that candidates have college degrees in order to apply. Some refer to this outcome as the result of certain jobs being “overcredentialed”, resulting in employers overlooking an entire pool of qualified, available candidates. With the speed with which technologies are evolving, many employers are now looking to finding candidates who can be trained in-house for the technical skills required to meet their current and future labour needs.
Post-secondary degrees will of course continue to be required for entry into specific occupations such as medicine, law, engineering, etc., etc. However, we have to find alternative means to ensuring the new collar jobs can be filled in a timely and efficient manner, allowing qualified persons to have entry access. As the future of work continues to evolve, so too do the skills that individuals and organizations need in order to succeed. In Canada for example, the Public Policy Forum, the Diversity Institute, and the Future Skills Centre joined together in 2020 to publish Skills Next (Skills Next Series – Future Skills Centre • Centre des Compétences futures (fsc-ccf.ca), a series that explores what is working in workplaces, universities, and the labour market. The studies examine where workers are falling through the gaps in our skills training system. Their subsequent reports focus on one issue – such as the impact of technology in the workplace, gig work, digital skills, and barriers to employment that some marginalized groups experience – and review the existing state of knowledge and identify areas in need of additional research.
More needs to be done to determine which jobs are and will be “new collar”, as well as how the demand for skilled workers will be met. This will require the participation and collaboration by universities, colleges, corporations, governments and research bodies to develop an elaborate set of policies to tackle the issues surrounding the evolving needs for future skills development. There is no sector of the economy that isn’t affected by the introduction of new technologies. As we enter a New Year, there is no better time than the present to undertake the required initiatives to meet the challenges.
FROLITICKS 
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