Innovators focus on jobs at risk as tech develops

Transition year students Conor Walsh, Fionn Carey, and Jack Conlon have launched a new digital platform titled ‘CareerQuest’ to help students navigate a job market rapidly being reshaped by AI and automation.

The project, officially titled ‘The jobscape of tomorrow: future-proof your career with our solution career quest’, was born from the team’s own uncertainty about their professional futures.

They identified a specific category of employment most at risk in the coming years. “It’s the ones that are repetitive jobs that AI can easily take over,” Conor Walsh said. Their research highlights data entry clerks, bank clerks, cashiers, and travel agents as roles likely to fade as technology advances. The students also offered reassurance to those in creative fields, noting that journalists and similar professions will likely remain secure.

The group found that technology is a dual-edged sword. “It doesn’t just take jobs, it also creates jobs as well,” Fionn Carey noted, pointing out that AI will likely serve as a tool to help professionals like accountants rather than simply replacing them.

A significant part of the project involved identifying a “gap in the market” regarding career guidance. Jack Conlon said that while existing services like Careers Portal provide essential information on CAO points and requirements, they often fail to mention which jobs are “fading out of fashion” or the specific skills needed for the future.

The team also discovered a total lack of career resources for younger children, leading them to design CareerQuest with primary school students in mind.

Their platform helps children match their personal strengths with the essential skills required for the employment landscape of tomorrow.