Year Ender: Global trends that will impact education, job market in 2023

Life has changed a lot since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. This has led to new advancements in every area, including education. Technology has made inroads in classrooms and is one of the key factors in defining the education system. As we approach 2023, there are some worldwide trends that will give education and, by extension, the job market a whole new meaning. 

According to Aditya Malik - CEO, Edureka Higher Ed, part of Veranda Learning Solutions - Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning continue to play a key role for students in 2023.

"I firmly believe that ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer)type of chatbots, has the potential to change the nature of jobs being performed by humans faster than we think. Therefore, it becomes doubly important for students to continuously upskill and reskill themselves in order to stay ahead of their peers," Malik said.

"Another area that will hold a lot of significance will be communication skills. With companies across the globe embracing a hybrid work culture, it is critical that students be able to communicate effectively with remote supervisors and remote peers. Developing communication skills will go a long way in furthering career growth. To top that, students must be willing to adapt to change as that will form a strong foundation in their career as the days of fixed jobs and fixed roles might get over sooner than we think," he added.

Ankur Aggarwal - Co-founder & Managing Director, LaunchMyCareer - cross-functionality and merging careers are expected to be some of the top global career trends of the future. 

"With technology predicted as the leading career trend of 2023, 97 million new jobs are anticipated to be created as a result of ongoing digital transformation and technological advancements. As such, essential skills will need further upgrading. This highlights the urgent need for reskilling and upskilling in every position, division, and organization. In order to stay relevant, both current and future workforces will have to be prepared for continuous upgradation of skill sets," Aggarwal said.

Shruti Verma Isaac - co-founder & CEO, Shperion Solutions - the impact of mobile technology, cloud services, and augmented reality tools on the global job market has been unavoidable.

"Cloud Computing, Reskilling & Upskilling, Soft Skills, etc. will give education and the job market an entirely new meaning. Hence, a slew of innovative technologies set to alter the competitive landscape of international labour markets are expected to emerge in the year 2023. Understanding the context of these upcoming global trends will definitely help students and job-seekers get a leg up on the competition and at the same time assist in acquiring cutting-edge competencies which will, in turn, set them up for future professional success," she added.

Krishna Kumar - founder & CEO at Learnbay - feels that immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) provides a unified ecosystem for engaging employees and implementing new procedures. 

"Virtual reality (VR) gives the future workforce access to a hands-on experience before starting a job. Immersive technologies also provide a real-time application of concepts, which makes them essential for assisting job seekers in developing critical future abilities and laying the groundwork for long-lasting careers. There is more to 5G than just seamless coverage, minimal latency, and more dependable communication networks. It is expected that the majority of IT companies would adopt the technology and hire people with 5G expertise. In the upcoming years, there will undoubtedly be a significant need for expertise in network design, machine learning systems, big data analytics, and IoT (Internet of Things). Cloud computing is another industrial trend that will dominate the charts since it has enabled the establishment of virtual workplaces anytime, anywhere. Cloud solutions powered by 5G technology enable corporate leaders to be more observant to address real-time business demands," Kumar told Zee Business.

Ravi Bhushan - Founder and CEO, BrightCHAMPS - feels that 2023 will witness a greater and deeper amalgamation of the latest technological developments with education, resulting in elevated learning outcomes, greater accessibility, inclusion and democraticisation of the learning experiences. 

"Some EdTech trends we predict for 2023 are - the emergence of hybrid learning models with the new normal including metaverse-based experiences (XR), adoption of digital backpacks, which will include students’ digital learning trails, evidence and projects, and use of blockchain for credentials, CV, project trails and certification. We also expect to observe a change in the way students are evaluated and rewarded for their performance with more educational institutes offering micro-credentials or mini-qualifications and inclusion of white hat gamification techniques such as levelling up or unlocking a specific achievement. Integration of technologies such as Web3 with education will facilitate community contribution and we are likely to see advanced use of big data analytics and machine learning algorithms to track learning behaviour and style analysis for personalisation of lesson plans," Bhusan added.

Vivek Bhandari - CEO and Founder (Scholarly) - has pointed out the below-mentioned global trends that will impact the careers of students in 2023.

1. Students completing college in 2023 may see lower starting salaries due to the economic slowdown. However, they should not let that dishearten them. By gaining the right experience early on, students can set themselves up for success in their careers.

2. A larger number of students will be absorbed by traditional employers like IT, manufacturing, accounting and FMCG. No surprises here as companies without strong cash flows have tightened their hiring and compensation. Also, most larger organizations are a great training ground for freshers.

3. Demand for IT skills will continue to be high. Irrespective of their subject (Engineering, Economics, Accounting) students should spend time learning basic programming. Even students that are expected to graduate after 2023 should plan on acquiring some IT skills.

4. There will be a strong requirement for trained personnel in fields like bankruptcy and insolvency management, video content creation and mobile app development.