There aren’t many more important factors in a successful society than business and communication skills. These industries drive growth, connection and innovation.

So it’s no wonder that the government predicts strong future job growth for so many business and communication roles, including accountants, finance managers, auditors and HR advisers, as well as comms professionals, including advertising, marketing and PR experts.

But what does the future of these crucial industries actually look like. We talked to two Charles Sturt experts to get some insights.

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Business large and small – all growing

Dr John Hicks is Professor of Economics at Charles Sturt. He sees the growth in importance of small business and entrepreneurship as part of a prevailing trend in the labour market.

“In terms of employment I think small business is going to be far more important than it is presently, even though it has become more important over the last 20 years (because the push for ever-increasing productivity in big companies is leading to technology, artificial intelligence and so on taking over tasks from human labour, as it’s cheaper and easier to control). That will continue. For people to be economically productive in what they do for a living they will need to place themselves in a work context that values the unique contribution of humans to production.”

However, Dr Hicks also sees preparing for a more open global economy as one of the keys to business success for future graduates.

“Notwithstanding temporary political ructions like ‘trade wars’, I don’t think we will in the future move very far away from where we are now in terms of global business interaction. If anything the world is going to get ‘smaller’ and people will interact across the globe more and more frequently.

“And the competition that people will face for jobs – and the competition that the industries they choose to work in will face – will come from a growing range of sources around the world.”

Digital communication is key

Dr Travis Holland is a senior lecturer in communication at Charles Sturt University. He sees technology as central to communication practice. Both now and in the future.

“Perhaps the major trend that we will continue to see influencing how the communication industry will change is the pervasive nature of the internet. However, communication is often at the forefront of changes that the internet has gone through. This will continue to be so in the future. Everything is transferring online – even more so following the pandemic. The internet will continue to be the predominant delivery mode for all sorts of media.

“Whether starting their career or upskilling, they’ll need to pay attention to the way the internet is governed. And how material they put or access online is owned. They will also need to think about how to use technology creatively to access audiences. How to put their work in front of the people that want to see it. And they must be aware of misinformation. To have the capability to assess and find their way towards something resembling the truth. So data analysis and data visualisation are becoming important skills nowadays.

“Technology also opens up lots of opportunities for sharing creativity. Audiences may be niche on the internet. However, those niches can be very large, with interests being serviced from around the world. Being able to find access to those groups is a very important skill – and offers great visibility for creative ideas.”

Ready to drive success in business and communication?

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