The current situation has led many of to assess our futures and the potential risks our careers could be facing, with pandemics and automation causing some of us to lose our jobs. This begs the question: how can I future-proof my profession? 612,000 UK workers lost their jobs during lockdown over the last two months, as well as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reporting that 1.5 million people are at high risk of losing their jobs to automation.

A loophole in the government’s Job Retention scheme is allowing employers to pay their furloughed staff reduced wages during their notice period if they are made redundant, with almost nine million workers being furloughed and most having to accept at least a 20 per cent pay cut. Employment tribunals may be sympathetic, however there’s no guarantee that disputes will be processed.

Here, we’ll discuss how you can look after yourself in the event of another crisis in the future and panic-proof your profession.

Important things to consider

Firstly, try to avoid zero-hour contracts. Of course, for some, decisions like these may not be possible with limited choice or needing a job immediately to foot the bills. According to the latest figures from ONS, there were 974,000 Britons on zero-hour contracts in December 2019 — the highest figure yet. However, many of us on these contracts don’t earn enough money to be eligible for sick pay, putting us at risk of being abandoned and penniless in times of crises or illness.

Try to get a job with contracted hours to protect yourself in the face of another crisis.

Resilient industries

According to research by Totaljobs, 70 per cent of workers are considering working in a different sector that has proved resilient in light of Covid-19. Although a sector in particular that sustained and even took on more employees — supermarket store assistants — this role has a high 72 per cent risk of automation in the future due to the routine and repetitive nature that can be automated through algorithms.

So, what jobs will be safe? In a digital age, we must understand and accept that a change is happening in order to protect our futures. Although automation will also create new kinds of jobs, that will require a global shift in training.

Human experience

Doctors and nurses remained vital in the pandemic to look after sick people and will likely be safe from artificial intelligence in the future. Although technology will likely be used alongside workers to enhance treatment, diagnosis accuracy, delivery, and general support, machinery won’t ever be able to provide a service that requires connecting with humans and understanding them on an empathetic level. Helping people heal and being emotionally supportive can only be given by someone based on social intelligence and shared experience, rather than data and algorithms.

Teachers also survived lockdown, albeit transitioning to an unconventional and new way of work by delivering lessons online. Even though schools are shut for the time being, there have been no major job losses reported so far, as education will always be required and children will eventually return. Software for meetings and productivity such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams have facilitated digital learning for schools and universities as a one-stop shop for all communication, including messaging, voice and video calls with large groups of people, file storage, and document sharing. Is this the future of education?

Teachers are given important roles with high responsibility — nurturing the growth of children and helping those who are vulnerable requires emotional intelligence similar to health professionals which robots cannot mimic or replicate effectively enough to entirely replace humans. Like caretakers, people likely wouldn’t feel comfortable trusting children and vulnerable individuals to be looked after by robots.

Rage against the machine

What is one thing Covid-19 proved? That technology prevails — so think digital. As mentioned previously, education is delivered online as well as certain jobs that can be done remotely. Meetings are happening on Zoom and so on, making many digital jobs possible when you have the right technology in place. Although there will likely be some element of automation expected in sectors like digital marketing, the human knack for creative flair will always be required, something which robots aren’t capable of.

STEM sells

Similarly, a 2019 report by McKinsey forecasts that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers could show strong growth despite automation. Highly skilled jobs will likely be the most protected. Tesla CEO Elon Musk agrees that automation will need humans to oversee and manage them — skilled scientists, mathematics, and engineers will be required to make sure things are running smoothly and to help keep technology developing. Advanced jobs that will be created by technology in the future will need like-minded individuals.

Likewise, in crises such as pandemics, STEM industries will be essential in keeping the world moving forward and progressing to combat challenges such as creating vaccines and developing technological solutions. For example, new solutions will be needed in the future to facilitate social distancing and resilience to disease.

Catherine Noakes, professor of environmental engineering at University of Leeds, said: “From an engineering perspective the need to make buildings resilient to future pandemics must be combined with meeting environmental resilience.

“The current response is focused on the here and now, but we need to look at the future and consider how to prevent disruption during future pandemics.”

While it is hard to predict what the future holds for the global workforce, the best advice is to keep on developing transferable skills and research which industries are doing well.

Sources

We already know the benefits of home-grown food. Fruit and vegetables harvested from your own garden help to reduce carbon emissions, promote a balanced diet, and allow you to exercise your green fingers.

But the pay-off of personal crops goes beyond just a healthy lifestyle – the uses are of home-grown food are diverse and numerous. Sometimes, we have extra fruit and vegetables that just aren’t made for the dinner table, but their use is not limited to the bin.

From the sustainable to the unusual, we look at those other uses for home-grown food that you may have overlooked.

Pollen promoter

When growing fruit and vegetables, it’s easy to ignore the needs of other plants in our garden. Of course, the roses that you planted look nice, but they don’t require as much careful maintenance and attention as your blossoming tomatoes.

However, putting home-grown food first does not have to be injurious to your other growing successes.  In fact, the growth of certain fruit and vegetables can help to increases biodiversity in your garden by attracting bees and butterflies which are vital for further pollination amongst the more decorative plants in your back yard. To achieve this, we recommend growing produce such as melons, courgettes, and cucumbers. As these plants are closely related, they grow well in similar soils, reducing maintenance.

Changes to industrial agriculture since the latter half of the 20^th century have led to a reduction in bee colonies. But a biodiverse garden, including the growth of fruit and vegetables allows these at-risk-insects to thrive. You won’t just be benefitting yourself with food – you’ll be helping an entire species.

Pimp your compost

You’re already doing your bit for the planet by growing your own vegetables – but you can go one step further. Using your home-grown fruit and vegetable scraps to compost your garden can help you produce a more successful harvest.

The nutrients that your crops have absorbed from the soil during its growth are concentrated and released back into the soil when you compost. This concentration of good plant fertiliser can then be quickly absorbed back into the next generation of potatoes or peppers for even better growth the second time around.

Fruit and vegetable scraps should also be composted with carbon-rich materials for successful decay – your grass cuttings will do fine. One-part food scraps and three-parts hay or turf is easily achievable in a low waste garden. When we home-grow food, we think of food for thought. After this, it’s food for your food!

Food on your face

Rich with vitamin and nutrients, fruit and vegetables have as much use on your face as they do in your gut. Of course, we’re talking about face masks. When selecting your skincare products, if you’re inclined to choose a naturally based product, consider creating your own from the food you grow in your garden.

A skincare recipe that is particularly suited for the British garden is a carrot face mask. Carrots are pack full of vitamin A, with additional ingredients including vitamin C, potassium and folacin. This means that carrots in a face mask can help moisturise skin tissue and help to repair it. Carrot face masks also help build your defences against sun damage and can help to tone your skin.

The recipe is simple – cook three carrots, blend into a smooth puree, and mix with four tablespoons of honey. Allow your mixture to sit on your face for about 10 minutes before washing it off with cold water – this will allow all those important nutrients to get absorbed into your face.

There are, of course, even more recipes for natural facemasks that you can make from your home-grown food. Different combinations of fruit and vegetables will help release their respective nutrients into your skin for different results – just make sure that your creation is safe before you use it.

Colour inspiration

Do you remember using carefully carved potatoes and carrots with paint to create amazing prints as a child? Your parents may even have your garden scene on the refrigerator. We’re taking this to another level and saying you can actually use your home-grown fruit and vegetables to create your own paint.

The process is easier than you may expect. Simply boiling colourful fruit and vegetable materials will release their natural colours into the water. Choosing your colours is equally uncomplicated: strawberries make red, blueberries make blue, kale makes green, and oranges and carrots make orange. Other fruit and vegetables are unlikely to trip you up on their colour production.

After boiling, strain and keep your coloured water and put your food waste into the compost bin. You can use your coloured water to naturally die materials or create paint by adding powder sugar to create a thicker consistency that is more suitable for traditional canvas painting. With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to use your last supper to recreate Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

The uses of home-grown fruit and vegetables are clearly numerous. But by using natural ingredients and materials to achieve great results in many different aspects of life, the benefits reach beyond the initial uses of their produce. The use of grow bags has made it easier to grow your own fruit and vegetables in your garden. While we don’t expect you to eat everything you produce, you can certainly make more than carrot cake with your crops. You can help the planet and do more than just eat your greens!