The Future of Jobs: Which Professions Will Survive?

Abstract

Summary This paper provides an overview of jobs of the future in Uzbekistan during the years of technology advancement such as automation and artificial intelligence (AI). Beyond blue-collar jobs, where technologies have already entered the workplace, there are philosophical consequences; If blue-collared job automation is already taking over the profession but its blue-collar job is an easier fix so it is taking a lot of time to reach white-collar work, what will happen to all the white-collar jobs? Although the effects of automation on jobs in developed economies are heavily researched, the effects in Uzbekistan are underexplo-red. To investigate the possible impacts of AI and automation on the professions in Uzbekistan, the following methodology is used: literature review, expert interview, and statistical analysis. The results indicate that job displacement will most likely occur in low-skilled sectors as a result of automation, but the emergence of job opportunities in tech-related fields will offset the losses. Further, the research emphasises the ongoing imperative of upskilling and digital inclusion, especially in rural communities. These findings suggest that Uzbekistan needs to focus on education and digital infrastructure in order to prepare its workforce for the future of work. This paper outlines certain policy recommendations available to aid this transition.