The Future of Work
Week 1
Let's look at this graphic and find out where you fit in.
DISCUSS
1. What is automation? How will it affect employment? 2. How can globalisation change our workplace? 3. Why is collaboration seen as a significant influence on our future of work? 4. Youth will face shrinking entry level occupations. What does this mean and what can you do about it? 5. What risks are you facing? Explain what schools can do about it. |
HEAD TO FYA: GET A JOB FOR SOME INTERESTING ARTICLES AND CLIPS.
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Week 2
Work and Well-being
This week you will learn about:
- the benefits that working brings to your life
- the benefits that working brings to people around you
- the reasons why people work
- work-life balance
- how tax is collected, distributed and forms part of government policy.
Our working life contributes so much to our well-being as well as our financial security and prospects for improving our lives and the people in our families. Not everyone has the same opportunities however, and right now we're facing a significant economic event which is likely to affect our working lives for years to come. However, it's important to know that we can plan for these contingencies and be ready for opportunities when they offered. We are the economy and our choices affect what businesses will produce and who they employ. We also pay taxes and these taxes pay for our schools, our hospitals, our roads and railways as well as social safety nets that help us when times are difficult or we have faced loss, such as the bushfires and Covid-19.
Being part of the workforce will enable you to start earning money, which you can then use to buy things that you want. Earning a living is often the primary reason that people work. It is, however, not the only one. These two people have very different ideas about emerging generations and their contribution to the workforce. Click on the image and read the articles, then consider the questions following.
Who are these people? What roles do they hold?
How does Ita Buttrose describe Millenials? Do you agree or disagree?
What counter-argument does Gerry Harvey offer?
Which speaker do you agree with?
How would you describe your generation? Write a sentence or 3 in the mentimeter below.
How does Ita Buttrose describe Millenials? Do you agree or disagree?
What counter-argument does Gerry Harvey offer?
Which speaker do you agree with?
How would you describe your generation? Write a sentence or 3 in the mentimeter below.
Why do people work?
Reference: Chapman, Freak & Stahl (2019) New Concepts in Commerce, Jacaranda
Read these snapshots and then match them with their heading. The headings are all mixed up, try and decide which one suits the description best. Match the number with the letter.
Write down in your notes, what benefits you think working gives you. You can use these examples or come up with your own ideas.
Try and decide - which of these would you trade off for a higher income?
Read these snapshots and then match them with their heading. The headings are all mixed up, try and decide which one suits the description best. Match the number with the letter.
Write down in your notes, what benefits you think working gives you. You can use these examples or come up with your own ideas.
Try and decide - which of these would you trade off for a higher income?
- To add to superannuation I
- To have disposable income G
- To help others F
- To earn money A
- To gain status and prestige B
- To make friends E
- To obtain self-satisfaction C
- To improve living standards D
- To be able to manage a household H
A. To survive, we must have money. Most people sell their labour to an employer and receive an income in return. The worker becomes the employee, while the person paying for their work is the employer. The most common forms of income are wages and salaries. While earning money, many workers will struggle to maintain some degree of balance between work and leisure, known as the work–life balance. This need for work–life balance is important to many workers and can form the foundations of a good life and a worker’s sense of wellbeing.
D. Working generates an income that enables consumers to satisfy their needs and wants. The quality of the work is also important to employees. Studies of modern values have revealed few employees want to be wasting their life contributing to questionable or immoral work. After all, many hours are spent working, and people want them to count for something.
G. Many people work in order to pay the bills and survive. However, most people work for an enjoyable life. A disposable income is funds that are available to be spent after all taxes, bills and compulsory costs of living are paid for. This surplus income can then be spent in any manner desired; that is, disposed on fun, holidays and hobbies.
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B. Historically, society has tended to place a lower value on work in what are referred to as the ‘caring professions’, such as childcare, nursing and aged care. For this reason, salaries for people who work in these areas have generally been lower than in many other fields. These roles have traditionally been filled by women, and this provides another reason for the disparity that is often seen between the relative wages of men and women in Australia.
E. The social aspects of work increase its value. On average, employees spend more time at work with their co-workers than they do at home with their families (not including sleep time). Work provides the opportunity to meet other people and make friends. Sometimes workplaces have social clubs that employees can join to make friends and have fun, and participate in organised activities aimed at increasing the sense of staff connectedness and satisfaction.
H. Managing a household is not easy. Many people find the costs of day-to-day living stressful, so having a job enables ease in paying compulsory expenses first, but also then having surplus funds left over to be disposed of in any desired manner.
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C. Two hundred employees of a factory were asked to write down the most important aspect of their work. The responses revealed that it was not money: 67 per cent of the employees said that knowing they had done the job well and received some praise from the supervisor were the most rewarding aspects. Both job satisfaction and self-satisfaction were seen as important. This doesn’t mean that money is not important; it is. However, there are many other rewards you can get from a job.
F. Voluntary workers play an essential role in our society. Many people in the local community work for voluntary agencies such as country fire brigades, Meals on Wheels or the State Emergency Service. They receive no financial payment, but do it for pleasure and the satisfaction of being able to help others.
I. Often, people want to make their retirement as carefree as possible. They make mature decisions about their money, pay off all their bills, have savings and still realise that even after disposable income has been spent, they could put more into their future. Many people make choices to add extra funds into their superannuation, so they have more available when they are no longer working. Adding more into superannuation now can have tax advantages.
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Tax this
Click on the TAX 101 image below. It will take you to Tax, Super and You to find out about:
- Different types of taxes affect taxpayers in different ways. Work out the difference between progressive, proportional and regressive taxes and test your understanding of these three tax types.
- Different levels of government provide a wide range of goods and services. Discover what these goods and services are, and explore your own community to see what kinds of things the government provides.
- The annual Budget shows how tax revenue is collected and how it will be spent. Explore issues concerning the Budget. Investigate how pressures on the Budget can impact on the type and amount of taxes that are levied.
- Taxes have changed and evolved over time. Discover the changes made in the Australian tax system and explore the reasons taxes change.
- Learn about the purpose and operations of the ATO. Test your knowledge about tax and find out if you are a tax expert.
- After you've finished all the topics, play the challenge quiz and beat your classmates.
Week 3
The (Changing) Workplace
Join Peardeack and follow the Google Slides to:
- investigate how the nature of work has changed and how it is likely to change in the future, including:
- the use of statistical data to examine patterns of employment
- the emergence of the sharing economy
- changes in the nature of work and workplace arrangements due to the impact of technology and globalisation
4.2 Changing work patterns
Change in occupations
The kind of work people do has changed considerably over the past century. In 1900, nearly one-third of our labour force worked in primary industries, mainly farming and mining. Since then, the proportion of primary industry workers in the labour force has dwindled to about 4 per cent. Because of improved methods of farming and mining, and the use of mechanical equipment, fewer workers are needed to produce our food supply and minerals.
For a long time many of those who left the farms and mines moved into jobs within secondary industries. They took factory jobs in the city. In recent years, however, the proportion of the labour force needed to do factory work has been decreasing and is presently about 20 per cent. This is because many factory jobs have been eliminated by technology, especially automation.
As opportunities for employment have decreased in some occupations, they have increased in others. The demand is great for jobs in tertiary industries providing services such as finance, education, health, computing, hospitality, tourism and child care. In fact, about 76 per cent of the labour force consists of people providing services. The growth in employment in tertiary services is expected to expand rapidly during the next two decades because of advances in computing, especially telecommunications, and social and lifestyle changes.
New work patterns
Tomorrow the world of work will be different from what it is today. No-one really knows how different. Certain jobs will change more than others, but all jobs are likely to experience some change. Many workers will find that they must learn new skills to adjust to changes in their jobs. Others will have to train themselves for new jobs that open up when old ones disappear. The idea of a job for life is disappearing and workers in the future will tend not to have a clear career path. For students preparing for the world of work, the most important ability to develop may be the ability to learn.
Change in occupations
The kind of work people do has changed considerably over the past century. In 1900, nearly one-third of our labour force worked in primary industries, mainly farming and mining. Since then, the proportion of primary industry workers in the labour force has dwindled to about 4 per cent. Because of improved methods of farming and mining, and the use of mechanical equipment, fewer workers are needed to produce our food supply and minerals.
For a long time many of those who left the farms and mines moved into jobs within secondary industries. They took factory jobs in the city. In recent years, however, the proportion of the labour force needed to do factory work has been decreasing and is presently about 20 per cent. This is because many factory jobs have been eliminated by technology, especially automation.
As opportunities for employment have decreased in some occupations, they have increased in others. The demand is great for jobs in tertiary industries providing services such as finance, education, health, computing, hospitality, tourism and child care. In fact, about 76 per cent of the labour force consists of people providing services. The growth in employment in tertiary services is expected to expand rapidly during the next two decades because of advances in computing, especially telecommunications, and social and lifestyle changes.
New work patterns
Tomorrow the world of work will be different from what it is today. No-one really knows how different. Certain jobs will change more than others, but all jobs are likely to experience some change. Many workers will find that they must learn new skills to adjust to changes in their jobs. Others will have to train themselves for new jobs that open up when old ones disappear. The idea of a job for life is disappearing and workers in the future will tend not to have a clear career path. For students preparing for the world of work, the most important ability to develop may be the ability to learn.
Discuss
- In 1900, the average age of the person entering the labour force was 15. Today it has risen to 18 years. Why do you think this change has taken place?
- When a worker's job is replaced by technology, who should be responsible for training the worker for another job: the worker, the business, the government? Give reasons for your answer.
Start finding out
There is a lot of information around helping younger people get into the workforce so that they can live productive and fulfilling lives, after all working gives you a great sense of accomplishment and achievement as well as material security.
Click on the image here to go to one of the biggest reports out on the Future of Work. There is a lot of key information that can help guide you and help you understand where you can chart a future for yourself. |
Week 4
Rights and Responsibilities in the Workplace
YOUR FIRST JOB
WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW?
Head to ASIC's Moneysmart site to find out:
Week 5
Contemporary Issues
So AI is coming, what does it look like?
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