Jobs of the future

The world around us is rapidly evolving. Amid economic and global instability, and technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) now becoming part of our everyday lives, the future is uncertain.

Based on analysis by Jisc’s graduate labour market specialist, Charlie Ball, this report sheds light on what the future of work may look like, areas of high employment growth, and the skills likely to be needed by employers over the next decade or so.

It follows our report on the value of going to university, which showcased the current benefits of getting a degree.

Data at a glance

More than 11 million extra graduates, in addition to the 15.3 million graduates currently in the UK workforce, will be needed to fill jobs in the UK by 2035 in industries such as computing and engineering, teaching and education, and health.
88% of new jobs by 2035 will be at graduate level.
The UK will need over 1.9 million STEM professionals, including in areas such as computing and engineering, by 2035.
The UK will need over 1.2 million health and social care associate professionals, including opticians, medical technicians, housing officers and youth and community workers, by 2035.
The UK will need over 1 million health professionals (such as doctors and nurses) by 2035.
The UK will need 1 million teaching and educational professionals, such as university and higher education teachers, by 2035.
In the UK, due to AI, there will be a 10% net increase in jobs that require a degree over the next 20 years.

Five areas in need of graduates

Technology

The UK will need over 1.9 million STEM professionals, including in areas such as computing and engineering, by 2035.
Computer programming is the occupation that is expected to grow the most by 2035 in the UK.

Health

The UK will need over 1.2 million health and social care associate professionals, including opticians, medical technicians, housing officers and youth and community workers, by 2035.
The UK will need over 1 million health professionals (such as doctors and nurses) by 2035.

Education

The UK will need 1 million teaching and educational professionals, such as university and higher education teachers, by 2035.
Globally, there will be 3 million more jobs for vocational education teachers and university and higher education teachers by 2027.

Digital

In the UK, due to AI, there will be a 10% net increase in jobs that require a degree over the next 20 years.
Globally, there will be 4 million more digitally-enabled roles by 2027.

Creative skills

A university degree teaches transferable skills, such as the creative and critical thinking needed for problem-solving.
The UK will need over 1.2 million business services associate professionals, including professionals in advertising and marketing, by 2035.

Our survey of FTSE350 leaders

In addition to this report, we carried out a survey of 100 senior figures and talent acquisition specialists at the UK’s FTSE350 listed companies.

Findings

Graduate skills and AI

Six in 10 (61%) FTSE350 leaders say creative thinkers are essential to making the most of new AI tools.
More than half (51%) say graduates with critical thinking skills would be more important to the workforce than ever if AI were to be used to automate more white-collar jobs.
Half (50%) believe arts and humanities graduates will be crucial to helping businesses get the most out of AI tools.
63% think businesses will need to work more closely with UK universities to develop a talent pipeline with their required skills.
More than half (52%) say UK businesses will need to rely more heavily on UK university graduates to respond to skills gaps and workforce challenges of the future.

Lifelong learning

More than half (54%) expect the future workforce will need to retrain at least once in their career due to the rapid pace of technological change.
60% struggle to find mid-to-senior level candidates, and 58% want to normalise undertaking undergraduate courses at mid-to-senior career stages.
More than half (56%) say the government needs to make university courses more accessible to workers in their mid-to-late career.
Half (50%) say we need to rethink the traditional linear approach to education and normalise going to university at different stages in the career path.

Hybrid working

More than half (52%) say the shift to hybrid or remote working means they are more likely to recruit talent from outside major hubs, such as London.
More than half (56%) say the shift to hybrid or remote working has already positively impacted their business in terms of the quality of talent they can now recruit from outside of major hubs.

Case studies

Maisha Saida sitting in a classroom looking to the front with interest. She wears a hijab and an outfit with a striped pattern.

Liverpool Hope University, computer vision and machine learning

VISUM, which stands for VISion Understanding and Machine intelligence, is a summer school that provides learning opportunity for students, young researchers and professionals with interests in computer vision and machine learning.

Maisha Sadia was recognised as one of VISUM’s top students and received an award for her performance in a mentorship programme that saw her work directly with one of the school’s industry experts.

She now works as a Full Stack Developer at SixIntoSeven, a market-leading Liverpool-based company providing technology solutions to help local authorities and academy trusts transfer pupil information between primary and secondary schools.

I learnt from people who are trying to use their knowledge of tech to help everyone around them, such as those who are using computer vision to try and find solutions for infertility.

Maisha Saida

Full Stack Developer, SixIntoSeven

Jamie Bankhead smiling and sitting in a modern grey chair. He wears a white t-shirt and black trousers.

Abertay University, Dare Academy

Abertay University's video game design competition, Dare Academy, offers industry mentoring, support and advice to teams to help them create an industry standard game prototype. Finalists then travel to London for the EGX Games Showcase to demonstrate their finished game to industry leaders.

Jamie Bankhead, a Computer Games Applications Development graduate, took part in the competition during his studies. As a student, Jamie founded Konglomerate Games in 2019, and the startup has gone from success to success.

Now with more than 10 team members and a studio in Dundee, the award-winning Konglomerate Games has developed several games for the healthcare sector, including speech therapy games for children, clinical assessment training games for ophthalmologists and a game that helps children with cystic fibrosis practice their breathing techniques.

Cardiff Metropolitan University, FarmBot

Cardiff Metropolitan University's FarmBot is an autonomous robot capable of maintaining gardens, with the ability to plant seeds, water them, remove weeds, and measure soil moisture levels.

The FarmBot project was a collaboration between the School of Art & Design (CSAD) & the School of Technologies (CST). The robot allows Cardiff Met to grow plants that produce their own dyes and fabrics right on campus, helping to eliminate the carbon emissions associated with transport and industry.

Technology students played a major role in this project in helping build the robot itself as well as designing and developing the website that will showcase the robot’s features and progress.

It was a truly rewarding experience to witness the seamless integration of technology and art in pursuit of a common objective.

Moayed Gharebi

Software Engineering student

Download full report (pdf)

Publication