For many of us who grew up in the 80’s ‘The Future of Technology’ has always meant one thing….the hoverboard. As a child and Back To The Future fan, the hoverboard replacing the car represented to be the most exciting use of technology and innovation. It was the beacon for all things futuristic and technologically advanced.

Fast forward 35 years, and although we still live in hope for this childhood dream to become an everyday reality, in the ‘real world’ we have to look at the technological advancements that have been made, and the exciting potential yet to come.

As a recruitment consultant, working within the world of emerging technology and digital change, every day provides an opportunity to speak with candidates about the work they are doing, research next generation tech and innovation, and see examples of how healthcare, manufacturing, research, and automotive industries are ever-evolving. It is easy to picture the future of technology as one where robots rule, and human interaction somehow becomes less efficient, important, and desirable. Images of robotic production lines, fully self-serviced shopping experiences, automated customer support systems conjure up mixed emotions where the desire for speed and efficiency compete with the emotional need for human interaction and personalized service.

We all want, and have now come to expect instant, efficient, ‘one-click’ style access to goods and services and because of this technology has to meet these demands. Although this expectation now seems to be a societal standard, many still worry that advancements in technology will eventually create a world where robots rule. The thought that we will somehow be
stuck in a real-life sci-fi movie, surrounded by machines has again called on another of the ’80s most famous films, where Skynet and The Terminator got us thinking (and for many of us, worrying) about what the future would look like.

If we stop to consider and remove ourselves from the over-excitement of cinema, we can really appreciate technology and the unbelievable benefits it could provide in the future. A recent report predicted, “Robots will displace 75 million jobs globally by 2022, but create 133 million new ones” (World Economic Forum ). Advancements, particularly within healthcare are offering life-changing and life-saving opportunities for future detection and treatment of serious medical conditions. Automated processes within the workplace are streamlining processes, to ensure repetitive tasks are completed quickly and efficiently to allow the staff team to utilize their
time and skillset on more technically challenging, thought-led roles.

Advancements in cybersecurity are ensuring our financial safety, personal data protection, and physical safety in terms of national and international defense. These advancements may not appear to be all singing and dancing, tangible technology that we have seen on the big screen, however,
this does not diminish their planning, design, purpose, and potential. We rely on amazing technology and those at the forefront of research and development, and although we may not ‘see’ it, we reap the benefits every minute of every day.

For us at Barlow Search, the future of technology holds exciting prospects. We do not worry that candidate selection and recruitment will be a process defined by algorithms and automation, and the role of the recruitment consultant will become obsolete. We want to embrace new technology to efficiently source the best candidates for our open roles, therefore allowing us to dedicate our time to interact with both clients and candidates to build our professional relationships, improve industry expertise………and above all, time to daydream about our future hoverboard commute to work!