The jobs of the future, it’s now safe to say, will be related to new technologies, so there will be work for employees experienced in software development, applications, and fintech solutions, as well as cybersecurity experts and analysts of criminal activities in the IT segment.

Jobs will be scarce for the data entry clerks, accountants, secretaries, and various administrative occupations that are part of the work landscape today. Despite job insecurity in production due to automation, it is predicted that production workers will continue to be in demand, as evidenced by data on employees in manufacturing companies that despite the introduction of new technologies still lack manpower.

The assessment of the most sought-after occupations in the future and the potency of certain professions in the project titled “Future of Jobs and Skills Map” was done by relevant experts, and the project itself was developed in collaboration with the Croatian Ministry of Labor and Pension System, Family and Social Policy, Algebra University College, and SELECTIO Group. The expert team included 27 scientists, professors, managers, and experts from various industries, as well as founders of top Croatian technology companies.

The “Future of Jobs and Skills Map” project was inspired by The Future of Jobs Report, which estimates that 97 million new jobs will be created by 2025 due to the increasing use of machines and algorithms in work processes. The report shows that as many as 94 percent of business leaders expect their employees to pick up new skills in 2020, which is a sharp update from 65 percent in 2018.

The experts involved in creating the map offered their vision of the future in ten industries: information and communications technology, automotive, agriculture, food and drink industry, education, financial services, healthcare, public sector, energy, advanced manufacturing, and product and service retailing. By combining their predictions, an interactive map was created with 100 up-and-coming occupations and 100 occupations most likely to leave the labor market.

The IT industry, which currently employs almost 40,000 people (and counting) in Croatia, will require fintech engineers, architects, and software managers, as well as digital marketing specialists, while clerks, administrators, accountants, auditors, and financial analysts will no longer be in high demand.

As for healthcare, in addition to indispensable doctors, jobs that will prosper include data analysts, AI or cybersecurity specialists, and computational biologists – who apply the skills of data sciences, mathematics, and statistics in the field of life sciences and analysis, and modeling of quantitative biological data. On the other hand, the need for waiters, data entry or accounting clerks, and even electricians will slowly disappear.

There will be room in the public sector for digital transformation experts, information security analysts, and project managers, while there is a declining need for administrators, lawyers, sales and marketing experts, warehouse workers, and even human resources specialists.

In mostly private sectors with a long tradition in Croatia, such as food production and agriculture, most sought after will be data analysts, digital marketing experts, PR and brand managers as well as the application of artificial intelligence, while there will be less work for accountants, administrators, and food processing and assembly workers. Interestingly, there seems to be a growing need for truck and car drivers in this sector.

The retail sector will be looking for experts to improve business organization, process automation, and artificial intelligence, but also cashiers, while reducing the demand for mechanics, field agents, sales representatives, or customer service workers. This is due to the predictions that shopping will move online, covering a quarter of the market by the end of 2024.