Overview

The widespread belief that tech-savvy, educated millennials are well positioned to handle the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution is unfounded. It does not fully grasp the reality of a flux society, where relevant technological skills and knowledge are continuously changing: no one is permanently tech-savvy. Millennials, like other generations, face the challenge of needing to continually reskill. This has compounded their struggle to begin their careers at a point when there is no longer any guarantee of lifetime employment or retirement at a set age. Shaping the Futures of Work is a timely sociological exploration of the impact of technological innovations on employment. Nilanjan Raghunath proposes that stakeholders such as states, enterprises, and citizens hold equally important roles in ensuring that people can adapt, innovate, and thrive within conditions of flux. A promising model focuses on collaboration and proactive governance. While good governance includes citizen engagement, proactive governance goes one step further, creating inclusive policies, roadmaps, and infrastructure for social and economic progress. This book reveals that lifelong learning and adaptability are imperative, even for well-educated professionals. Using Singapore and Singaporean millennials as a case study, Raghunath examines proactive governance and delivers research and analysis to elucidate career trajectories, pointing to a work ethic that aims to engage with technological futures. Looking at local and global sociological literature to confirm the need for proactive governance, Shaping the Futures of Work suggests that Singaporean millennials – and professionals around the world – need to better prepare themselves for flux, risk, failure, and reinvention for career mobility.

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9780228008804

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Reviews

An important and wise book with clear lessons for managing the fourth industrial revolution that is blurring the boundaries between digital, physical, social, and biological worlds. With a focus on the increasing precarity of well-educated, highly skilled white-collar workers facing insecure employment, Nilanjan Raghunath proves it is no longer responsible to sit back and treat this flux society as ungovernable, natural, or necessary. From this elegantly written book's examples we learn how to respond with collaboration, foresight, and planning to make smart cities that are technologically resilient, innovative, and safe. Susan S. Silbey, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Shaping the Futures of Work challenges popular misconceptions of tech-savvy young professionals riding the wave of digital disruption by detailing the realities of economic insecurity and precarious careers. I would recommend this book for all those interested in the lived experience of millennials in the new world of work. Phillip Brown, Cardiff University

Author Information

Nilanjan Raghunath is assistant professor of sociology at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

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