What is the future for humans in the workplace?

If you listen to any number of futurists, you can easily envision a future in which most jobs, especially in industries such as retail, will have been taken over by robots, artificial intelligence and automation. Not so fast, says workplace expert Cheryl Cran. She’s the author of NextMapping: Anticipate, Navigate & Create the Future of Work. On this episode, Cran explains why she’s confident that humans will still have employment, even in an age when robots are assuming many tasks once performed by people. Automation, she argues, is helping employers at a time when there are an estimated 20 million more opportunities than human workers available to fill them. At the same time, she says, it’s essential that workers take control of their own destiny, in a “gig-driven” world where lengthy employment is no longer assured, and skills must be constantly rejiggered to fit the needs of society. Get ready for “a very human future,” Cran says. Hosted by Bob Bowman, executive editor of SupplyChainBrain.

Look for a new episode of the podcast, which can be downloaded or streamed, every Friday on the SupplyChainBrain website and Apple Podcasts.

Show notes: Cran’s book, NextMapping: Anticipate, Navigate & Create the Future of Work.