Ep 67 What to Know About Remote Work & Artificial Intelligence Part 1 of 4

In episode 67 We learn what you need to know about remote work and artificial intelligence Part 1

You’re listening to the Remote Work Retirement Show  - the only show that helps semi-retirees figure out their remote work options. I believe that remote work is the new retirement plan and that many retirees have both the ability and desire to work how they want so they can live how they want. Let’s dig into the episode

Hello and welcome to a brand new series all about what you need to know about remote work and artificial intelligence. Now this is part one of a 4 part series.

If you’re new to this show let me back and tell you a little bit about we do things about these parts. Rather than throw a new topic at you every episode on this show, I like to go deeper into one main topic and explore it from a few different angles. The idea is that by the last episode in the series, you have a firm foundation, including ideas, tips and often resources to actually put something you learn into practice. So if you like that approach then keep listening because this series is going to be a game changer if you want to work remotely either for a company or for yourself in business or even just earn supplemental income remotely.

Let’s start with what I’ll be covering in these episodes. Today I will set the foundation for why this topic is so important right now and quite frankly forever.

Then in the next episodes I’ll be talking about the most important skills you need to work remotely, the most important things you can do to upskill on artificial intelligence, and finally how you position yourself as an A.I. specialist which you can add to your resume, LinkedIn profile or add to your business.

To get things started I want to talk about where we’re at in our evolution of remote work and the intersection of artificial intelligence. This episode is being recorded in September of 2023. So if you’re listening later some of this may have changed, but the principles of what I’m going to talk about will remain the same for a long time.

All throughout 2023 and even 2022 there has been a lot of hullabaloo (yes that’s the official word) about the job market drying up and remote jobs going away. I have been calling BS on the economists for months and have been right, and I also have warned my clients that it can’t last forever. And in August we saw an uptick in the unemployment rate at 3.8%. It’s been bouncing around 3.4% since January of this year. Now let’s put this in perspective. 3.8% is still quite a low unemployment rate. Especially when you compare it to 11% in the 80s and 10% in the 2010s. But there is what economists call a cooling off in the market. So we have to acknowledge that.

But here's what’s bananas at the same time, Employers are still struggling to find good workers. A good worker is subjective of course but someone who wants the job and has the skills to do it and sticks around. 

The problem that these companies are facing is the ongoing tug of war about remote work. The two major headlines are remote work is dead and remote work is here to stay. Those trends reflect the battle of employees having leverage and then employers having leverage and then back again. In a perfect world, companies would bring everyone back to the office because well to put it plainly, managers have more control when they can see you. Plus there are costs for office spaces, and equipment. And there are good reasons to come into an office too. But like the horse is out of the barn now and you can't just and call everyone back to the office when they’ve had the taste of freedom. Oh and they have choices. It's all about One of the best remote work policies I’ve seen recently that found the right balance is Smuckers yea the jam company. In an August 28 20203 article in https://fortune.com/2023/08/28/smuckers-return-to-office-super-commuters/amp/ they came up with a 22 core weeks policy. That equates to about 2 weeks a month but there is a lot of flexibility in how people use that time. The best way to use it is for in-person collaborative meetings, and team building. In many cases the commuting costs are cheaper than if someone lived in the city to drive in. It’s the policy that works for everyone but I respect how Smuckers is trying to find the balance for them and for their employers instead of forcing the ridiculous hybrid schedule of everyone must come in on Monday, Wed, Friday as an example.

But let’s turn to the other fly in this employment ointment which affects remote workers and remote business. That’s A.I. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a must-have skill for workers and must-have approach to businesses. In my business as ane example I am currently implementing a lot of AI technology to speed up processes, and quite frankly keep up with competitors. If I don;t implement AI it’s an actual risk to my business and the people that I serve.

But let’s talk about AI as it pertains to workers. Businesses much bigger than mine that employ hundreds or thousands of people, are struggling to find people who have any AI skills even basic ones. Combine that with AI technologies they can’t implement well because they don’t have the right talent and that leaves a lot of people scrambling. One company Acenture which is a global business consulting firm is investing 3 billion dollars into developing AI solutions for their clients. But they don't have enough talent yet to implement, so they are going to double its talent to 80, 000 people. Oh and they are developing AI training to get those people trained up. https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/accenture-to-invest-3-billion-in-ai-to-accelerate-clients-reinvention.htm

So let’s talk big picture for a sec. The job market is cooling off so in short less jobs to go around, the remote work battle rages on and companies are still losing good talent, A.I. is hitting the scene at a ferocious rate but there are not enough skilled workers.

What does all of this mean for you? Well if you are someone who plans to get a new job anytime soon, change roles, work remotely, or start a business you need two core things. The first is to know how to position yourself as a flexible and desirable remote workers. Someone who has the right remote skills and is really adaptable. I’ll be talking about what that looks like next time. And second, you must, must, must learn AI at least at a basic level. You have to be able to put things on your resume or LinkedIn or business website that you can use ChatGPT at a minimum. You need to understand what a prompt is and write effective prompts. You need to know some AI technology whether that’s A.I.  in project management, copy editing tools, graphic design etc. If you want to start a blog, a YouTube channel, and e-commerce business you need to know AI tools too. Because if you don;t you will fall behind those who do.

I will be talking about all of this and more throughout this series.. So buckle up and get ready for a wild ride into the future that is actually the present.

If you’re looking to get back into the workforce, change jobs, work remotely, or learn A.I., check out my free remote work training so you can get ahead of the trends and stay ahead of the pack. 

Click here to join Remote Work School:

https://www.camilleattell.com/remoteworkschool

If you want to start something new but feel a bit overwhelmed, I invite you to take my free remote work training:

https://www.camilleattell.com/remote-training

If you have any questions, Click here to DM on Instagram.

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