New trends in various segments of creative industries, being further accelerated by COVID-19 crisis, are creating fresh job roles and pushing for upskilling of the creative workforce. A 2021 report titled ‘Future of jobs in design, fashion and contemporary media’ by KPMG in India, Pearl Academy, FICCI and FDCI analyses 160 job profiles and shares recommendations to help higher education institutions in developing the right talent for India Inc.

Key findings of the report

• Clear emergence of technology-based jobs, along with Jobs in areas of customer experience and sustainability
• On the upskilling front, many mainstream jobs will see a difference in the way they are executed owing to impact of technology, data availability and changing consumer preference.
• Upskilling required across business skills, soft skills, specialized industry skills, tech baseline and tech disruptive skills.
• Aesthetic and design sensibility, agile working, transdisciplinary thinking, design thinking will gain prominence.
• Technological skills such as predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, 3D modeling, machine learning, robotic process automation will be in demand as user centricity takes center stage.
• Creative artists will need to perform several functions, not strictly limited to their current roles and specializations.

Emerging trends and future of jobs in DESIGN

• Design industry is at the forefront of reimagining the way every product and experience will be developed in the post COVID world.
• Technologies like Internet of Things, virtual reality and 3D printing and need for personalization are prompting designers to rethink on leveraging user-centric data for better product development.
• With increased digital consumption and mobility restrictions, brands will focus more on experiential designs.
• Sustainability in design will become a priority for designers as they are increasingly becoming socially and environmentally conscious.
• Newer job profiles and skills in demand: User researcher, digital product designer, information architect, usability analyst, voice interface designer, creative technologist, design strategist, knowledge of UI and UX, understanding of coding, content design and marketing, understanding of psychology, linguistics, and data science.

Emerging trends and future of jobs in FASHION

• Fashion retailers are leveraging digital solutions such as AI chat bots, augmented reality based virtual trial rooms, virtual reality for online fashion shows.
• Another rising trend is the use of smart textiles with sensors in areas such as healthcare and athleisure.
• Consumers are beginning to appreciate the importance of slow and sustainable fashion. They are inclining towards purchasing products that are procured and produced in India.
• Newer job profiles and skills in demand: Fashion data scientist, sustainability consultant, robotics and automation specialist, brand experience designer, deep understanding of green technology, knowledge of data analytics.

Emerging trends and future of jobs in CONTEMPORARY MEDIA

• AI and ML technologies are enabling companies to predict consumer behaviour, leading to increase of personalized and adaptive content.
• AI-powered technologies are also helping content creators to build interactive data visualisations, enabling rich and more realistic content.
• Regional content consumption is gaining traction as nine out of ten internet users in India are Indian language users consuming regional content.
• Newer job profiles and skills in demand: Multi-platform content creator, event technology expert, media AI specialist, experiential designer, multilingual skills, algorithm designing skills.

Recommendations for higher education institutions (HEIs)

• Besides becoming highly inter-disciplinary in nature, HEIs imparting design, fashion and media education should emphasize on technology-based courses to include subjects such as data science, artificial intelligence, robotics, and 3D printing.
• HEIs should promote innovation, entrepreneurial abilities, and global exposure.
• As changing skill sets create a need for lifelong learning, HEIs can play a role in addressing the upskilling/reskilling needs of working professionals via online degrees, skill-based certificates, and nano degrees related to new and emerging fields.
• HEIs should play a role in empowering and training rural workforce to support demand for local products.