References
This database has been compiled to provide a searchable repository on published research addressing “future skills” that will be a useful tool for researchers and individuals interested in the future of work and the future of skills.
The database integrates existing bibliographies focused on future skills and the future of work as well as the results of new ProQuest and Google Scholar searches. The process of building the database also involved consultations with experts and the identification of key research organizations publishing in this area, as well as searches of those organizations’ websites. For a more detailed explanation of how the database was assembled, please read the Future Skills Reference Database Technical Note.
The current database, assembled by future skills researchers at the Diversity Institute, is not exhaustive but represents a first step in building a more comprehensive database. It will be regularly updated and expanded as new material is published and identified. In that vein, we encourage those with suggestions for improvements to this database to connect with us directly at di.fsc@ryerson.ca.
From this database, we also selected 39 key publications and created an Annotated Bibliography. It is designed to serve as a useful tool for researchers, especially Canadian researchers, who may need some initial guidance in terms of the key references in this area.
Search the database
Reference
Social robotics: Integrating advances in engineering and computer science
With the rapid advancement of technology, robots could now be easily equipped with the state of art computing, electronics and communications technologies, with the potential to act as intelligent companions and with important applications in the education, entertainment, games and healthcare industries. The integration of all these technologies is the first step to realizing social robots – robots which will walk amongst humans, playing out their assigned roles whilst interacting with humans in a humanistic way. Social robots can have definite roles and tasks, such as educators, cleaners or guides, with a profound impact on human daily life. This advanced class of robots, just as we humans do, is made up of a complex array of interconnected modules – electronics (inner physical workings), sensing, planning and cognition, and finally, intelligence, interaction and communications. This paper provides an overview of each of these individual aspects, and how advanced technology in these areas can be integrated to form a social robot that can meld seamlessly into the human society.
Reference
Launching cleantech: Ensuring Canada’s place in the new global market
The rising cost of energy and resources, worldwide policy action to fight climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy are causing a paradigm shift in the global economy. This shift will profoundly affect the roots of Canada’s prosperity, but it will also create vast new markets for clean technologies that promise increased performance, lower costs and fewer negative environmental impacts. The global cleantech market is currently a $1 trillion opportunity, expected to reach $3 trillion by 2020. Many of our country’s international competitors have moved aggressively to embrace the cleantech opportunity. Canada has a vibrant and growing clean technology sector, but we currently lack the policy framework needed to reach our full potential. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity: if Canada can capture just 2% of the global clean technology market by 2020, our domestic cleantech sector will be worth over $60 billion. This report makes three key policy recommendations to move us towards that goal.
Reference
Who cares about young carers? Raising awareness for an invisible population
Young Carers are young people who provide significant care to family members because of illness, disability, or other challenges. While Young Carers are found in every classroom in Canada, they are too often invisible to their teachers and others who could provide support when needed. Because of this, Young Carers may not receive the care they need. When properly supported, young caregiving can be a positive life experience. But without proper support, Young Carers can run into educational, health and social barriers that can last a lifetime. These barriers translate into costs and lost opportunities for Young Carers and for society. This report introduces Young Carers to Canadians and calls for three first steps to improve conditions for Young Carers across the country: increased awareness, improved data collection and research, and a multi-sector effort to support Young Carers in their communities. Drawing on international examples, the report suggests tangible actions on each of these fronts.
Reference
Prospering together: Addressing inequality and poverty to succeed in the knowledge-based economy
One might think that inequality and poverty are the proper domain of social policy, not “economic and business policy,” this year’s Action Canada fellowship theme. Canadians are trained to think about economic and social policy as separate fields. Indeed, when the Action Canada Task Force on Inequality, Poverty, and the Knowledge-Based Economy (the “Task Force”) first met to discuss our project, we had a much narrower view of “economic and business policy” than we do today. The Task Force now considers economic and social policy to be inextricably linked; in fact, we believe that addressing what are traditionally considered social issues is crucial to Canada’s long-term economic prosperity. The evolution of the Task Force’s thinking itself demonstrates why inequality and poverty are important from an economic standpoint.
Reference
An effectiveness assessment and cost-benefit analysis of registered apprenticeship in 10 states
This study examines Registered Apprenticeships, career-training programs administered by the Employment and Training Administration's Office of Apprenticeship in the U.S. Department of Labor, in conjunction with state apprenticeship agencies. The study found program participants had substantially higher earnings than nonparticipants, and program social benefits were much larger than costs.
Reference
Transitioning to the future of work and the workplace: Embracing digital culture, tools, and approaches
A Deloitte survey (sponsored by Facebook) asked C-suite executives for their perspectives on the future of work. Their responses reveal six themes about the future workplace—and six lessons to help leaders ease the transition.
Reference
Skills at Work: How skills and their use matter in the labour market
Human capital is key for economic growth. Not only is it linked to aggregate economic performance but also to each individual’s labour market outcomes. However, a skilled population is not enough to achieve high and inclusive growth, as skills need to be put into productive use at work. Thanks to the availability of measures of both the proficiency and the use of numerous types of skills, the Survey of Adult Skills offers a unique opportunity to advance knowledge in this area and this paper presents and discusses evidence on both these dimensions with a particular focus on their implications for labour market policy. This paper explores the role played in the labour market by skill proficiency in the areas of literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments. It also shows how skills use, not only proficiency, affects a number of key labour market phenomena, such as the gender wage gap. Finally, the paper combines information on skill proficiency, educational attainment, skill use and qualification requirements to construct indicators of qualification and skills mismatch and to explore their causes and consequences.
Reference
Upskilling manufacturing: How technology is disrupting America's industrial labor force
In this report, [the authors] endeavor to answer one central question: What are the paths US manufacturers can take to nurture a future talent pipeline with the skills - both welders and app developers alike - needed to take advantage of today's technological advances and, most important, to be prepared for those, now unseen, that will emerge in the future. To get a closer look at the US manufacturing talent picture - now and into the future - [the authors] surveyed 120 US manufacturers with a special emphasis on how advanced manufacturing technologies are impacting the workforce dynamics.
Reference
Work in the future will fall into these 4 categories
Organizations are more boundary-less, agile, global, and transparent — and will be even more so in the future. Work and workers (yes, humans) will always be essential to organizations, but organizations themselves will be more diverse, and work will be organized, structured, and done in new ways, increasingly through arrangements outside of regular full-time employment. How can leaders navigate this new digital work ecosystem? How should your organization plan for the changes ahead?