At CSQ we believe solutions begin with understanding. So we’ve partnered with Australia’s premier scientific agency, CSIRO, to understand what it might be like to work in the construction industry in 2035.

Our six-month research project will, for the first time, bring together the technological, social, economic and geopolitical trends affecting our industry. We’re talking to leading scientists and industry experts to get a picture of the key forces reshaping our industry, so we can figure out what it all means for Construction Worker 2.0.

Oxford University researchers have estimated that 47% of all jobs are likely to be automated in the coming decades, including most construction occupations.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any jobs in the construction industry of the future. Technology has always been a net creator of jobs, and there’s no reason to think the next technological revolution will be any different. There will be jobs, but they won’t look very much like they do today.

What will change is the skills profile – the way work gets done and the skills that are needed. So the challenge is building a workforce that is equipped to use the building materials and systems of the future.

The first step is to understand what that future might look like. What will it mean for the construction worker when every single piece of material, machine and person is wirelessly connected to the internet? What skills will a construction worker need when virtual reality means work instructions, safety alerts and performance information are projected across their field of vision?

What will be the human’s role when the majority of coalface work is performed by machines? Will we be using power-enhancing ‘exosuits’ or remotely operating robots, 3D printers and drones?

A common assumption is that these technology-driven transformations will lead to vast numbers of people becoming “technologically unemployed” (a term coined by Economist John Maynard Keynes in the 1930’s). If machines do the work we currently do, there won’t be anything left for us right? The reality is that machines will free us up to focus on new, more productive work - this has been the story of technological change throughout history.

The transition to ‘Construction Worker 2.0’ will not be without casualties however, and we can expect an uncomfortable period ahead as technology changes and works its way through the workforce. Government and industry will need to work together to manage this transition.

During the Industrial Revolution the most important policy response was the introduction of universal secondary schooling, and then university, which delivered massive improvements in education levels throughout the population.

The future is coming, and today’s planners and decision makers must start developing policies now so we can meet the challenges of the technology revolution - our ‘second machine age.’

Keep track of The Farsight Project at csq.org.au

Augmented reality headsets, the future?

The Farsight ProjectConstruction Worker 2.0