Agility is the new job security

The labour market is under intense pressure: automation and artificial intelligence are claimed to be rendering entire sectors obsolete. But is this ominous picture accurate? Professor Ans De Vos, holder of the SD Worx Chair ‘Next Generation Work: Creating Sustainable Careers’ (University of Antwerp and Antwerp Management School), takes a different view: ‘The biggest risk isn’t the disappearance of jobs, but the lack of agility.’ In her view, sustainable careers are the answer to the uncertainties of tomorrow.

Healthy, happy and productive

‘A sustainable career is about more than just job security,’ explains De Vos. ‘It’s about being able to stay healthy, happy and productive throughout your career. You don’t have to keep all three pillars constantly at their peak, but there must be a balance. Sustainability also means developing the energy and skills to seize new opportunities, so that you don’t end up burnt out or directionless.’

It’s often thought that the future only requires digital or technological skills. ‘Mastering your profession remains crucial, but transferable and soft skills are at least as important,’ says De Vos. ‘Resilience, learning to deal with change, critical thinking about technology, and so on. If, for example, AI takes away your customer contacts and those are precisely what give you energy, then you have to ask yourself: how can I still apply that human factor? We notice that direct human contact remains irreplaceable in a high-tech world. Skills such as genuine listening, asking open questions, taking an interest in others’ perspectives and showing empathy are crucial to feeling happy and healthy.’

Not surviving, but steering 

De Vos argues against an overly narrow interpretation of Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’. ‘Adapting is important, but we’re not passive victims of technology. As individuals and organisations, we can help shape the way work is organised. What values do we consider important? How do we want technology to support us? The debate should be broader than mere efficiency or savings.’ 

And what about the fear that AI will wipe out jobs on a massive scale? ‘That kind of doomsday thinking isn’t new,’ De Vos says to put things into perspective. ‘People thought the same thing during the Industrial Revolution and Henry Ford’s assembly line. Ultimately, it also created many new jobs. According to the World Economic Forum, people will no longer need a third of their skills, but they’ll still need the remaining two-thirds. So the question isn’t whether there will be work, but who is willing to learn and see opportunities.’

Lifelong learning and vulnerability 

The key lies in dialogue and consultation, says De Vos. ‘Not abstract macro statistics, but teamwork to assess what’s changing and how that affects our tasks. Lifelong learning is certainly part of that, and it can be done close to home, in the workplace itself: give each other feedback, share knowledge, identify training needs.’ 

Yet there are barriers. ‘People who have been doing the same job for twenty years often have less experience with change. That’s when rigidity creeps in. It helps if organisations build in small incentives to create dynamism, by changing the context, customers or colleagues,’ says De Vos. ‘Culture is also important: employees and managers should feel free to show vulnerability. Saying that something is getting too much or that you don’t have enough control over something isn’t a weakness, but a step towards growth.’

Assignment for education and policy

Finally, De Vos points to the broader responsibility of education and policy. ‘We need to teach our students early on that learning is a lifelong process and that they need to remain aware of training needs and opportunities. Organisations need to make clear what is needed and how they can facilitate this. Sustainable careers are about individuals and organisations that dare to reflect and are willing to change so they can face the future together.’

For those who are just starting their careers, curiosity is key, according to De Vos. ‘Dare to explore, try things out and discover what gives you energy and what environment suits you. See the first few years as a search for who you are in your work, what talents you like to use and how they fit with what the world needs. Those who are willing to keep learning, to let go of the familiar and make choices that feel right will not only build agility, but also a career that is truly meaningful.’