Winston Adams
Contributor

Technological changes and innovations have changed our lives in many ways. From what we wear to how we communicate, technology is playing a significant role in our lives.

Job mobility has also been significantly affected by this facet.

The rapid change in technology had made it harder for many workers who lack specialised skills to find adequate employment. Also, an increasingly educated population is reducing the likelihood that many post-secondary graduates will find the work they want.

Changing economies
As the economies across the world are rapidly changing, structural unemployment is keeping many people out of the workforce, as a shifting economy does not have room for their skills.

Change can be a great thing, but also a traumatic thing for many persons.

On one hand, those who possess the technological skills the marketplace is looking for can expect a bevy of employment opportunities.

At the same time, rapid technological change has also caused undeniable hardship for men and women who might not possess the requisite technological literacy and the skill sets. The problem is compounded by the fact that workplace has become sophisticated and diversified than it was a decade back.

This phenomenon is not restricted to growing economies alone. A study released in France in the mid-1990s found that young people who received a vocational baccalaureate in late 1980s did not move up to the management and supervisory positions for which they had hoped. The majority still held entry-level jobs two years after graduation.

The study concluded that organisational contexts had not shifted sufficiently to take full advantage of the young people flooding into their ranks - or at least they had not in France as of the late 1990s.

There are many reasons for this, but it seems as though rapid technological changes have placed organisations into the role of catching the best technological-savvy talent available. On the other hand, the rapid fluctuations of the market have left young people with fewer jobs than before.

Employment advantage
In Jamaica, we have to be careful that many young people do not become discouraged from pursuing higher education. The focus of any education should be to give them an employment advantage. For this, it has become necessary that the education that is imparted does not become redundant after they have entered the job market.

Job mobility in the modern western job market has also been affected by education. Today's professional is much more educated than his predecessors. This means that university degrees that might once have carried a certain cachet no longer guarantee employment, - or at least meaningful employment.

Two year lag
A recent study found that highly educated persons demonstrate significant extended returns to migrations with the bulk of pecuniary rewards accruing with a lag of nearly two years. This means that people with the right kind of degrees can expect to find the jobs they want.

Conversely, those without such qualifications often move to new locations in pursuit of new jobs. The setbacks that they face force them to relocate and to seek new positions. The more fortunate individuals have a wider choice of what they want with a reasonable expectation of long-term gains.

Lastly, structural unemployment plays a key role in job mobility trends. Broadly stated, structural unemployment is when there is a instability in the labour market, which makes it difficult some people to get work.

Positions available
Basically, positions might be available, but those applying lack the requisite skill sets. Additionally, the nature of an economy wherein the demands and criteria of a job are shifting constantly will mean that people will find themselves temporarily out of work. They would also have difficulty finding suitable and fulfilling work because they lack the specialised skills. This indicates that job mobility is greatly hampered by structural unemployment, which in turn, leads to social strains.

In conclusion, it is imperative that job mobility is not restricted to an individual alone. There has to be an overall involvement. Incumbents should plan their careers and upgrade their skill sets and knowledge. These are times of lifelong education, and those who are flexible to the idea stand a better chance of success than others.

Winston Adams is executive chairman/president, University College of the Caribbean. He can be contacted at wadams@uccjm.com