The employment sector has undergone much change over the years and jobs have evolved in the 21st century.
Rapid progress as well as new developments in nearly all sectors, especially those infused with information and technology and sectors that automated, have changed the face and nature of jobs. As a result, many a job has either become obsolete.
Jobs which have gone by the way of the Dodo bird include the likes of the night soil man. Many a person would squirm at the nature of such a job today, which involved the removal of human excrement from homes and business premises in a rubber bucket.
As the modern toilet system caught up with the times and became a norm in all our homes and establishments, the bucket toilet system which was the vogue until the 1970s, eventually became obsolete as Malaysia progressed and developed.
Another job in Malaysia which has since disappeared, is the telegraph operator. The operator used Morse code or some other code system to send messages and was also required to interpret the messages received. The telegram, which was part and parcel of Malaysian development and progress for some 138 years became obsolete in 2012, when Telekom Malaysia discontinued it. The advent of the Internet, and in particular the e-mail, sounded the death knell for the job, which survived two world wars.
Being a proficient typist was a prerequsite right up to the early 1990s in order to secure a job, especially if one is a clerk or a secretary. In fact if you are a journalist, having a good command of the language coupled with fast typing speed was a must. And, typing schools were many then.
Yet, the emergence of desktops and eventually laptops and tablets with word processing software saw the beginning of the end for this profession as well as the manual or electronic typewriter.
The job of Switchboard Operator which, through the 1980s, was used to some capacity also saw the sun beginning to set. All calls had to be routed through switchboards in the early days of the telephones. In the 1980s, switchboard operators were mainly long-distance calling, and to take down phone numbers if all the circuits were busy. Now, nearly all call-ins are digitised, even the call-back, if the lines are busy, is automated.
Even the job of a taxi dispatcher is threatened, with e-hailing and ride-sharing applications such as Uber and GrabCar which are computer or mobile based.
In this 21st century, almost all traditional jobs have disappeared. In a much digitalised world, the future of jobs is seeing a change, keeping up- to-date with the needs of the times as well as the rapid progress involving technology as well as information technology.
As is with the ever-changing landscape, not many job hunters look at a newspaper’s classified section for jobs but at online job portals. You will realise how vastly different are the jobs advertised today compared to some 20 years ago.
You will find jobs such as:
* Mobile phone developers – As mobile phones become more and more versatile, the demand for better operating systems and more applications increases. Developers can work on any part of the process;
* E–waste management coordinators – People in this field are responsible for finding ways to safely and effectively dispose of electronic waste products;
* Nanotechnologists – These are people who construct and repair electronic gadgets on microscopic levels;
* Network administrators – People who can understand and provide support for computer networks are in high demand, and job opportunities will continue to grow; and,
* Social media experts – These are people who use social media like Facebook and LinkedIn for professional reasons, such as to create a brand identity for a company.
Soft skills are also a necessity and this includes the need to be equipped with the necessary languages, interaction ability and many others.
In an ever-changing world, nothing now ever remains the same, “the only thing that is constant is change” ... Greek philosopher Heraclitus.
B. Suresh Ram is a curious cat who believes that his curiosity is going to get the better of him one day. This Perak-born Tottenham Hotspurs supporter has two decades of journalism under his belt