Did you see any banks in the movie Blade Runner? Neither did I. But they were there. Who else was going to finance the flying cars or the postmodern houses? The businesses in that open-air market, the SMEs of the future, undoubtedly relied on bank financing. They would also facilitate the payment system we saw on screen. We didn’t see them, but the banks were there. I am sure of it.
What will the future really be like? Technological advances will continue to change our lives and the labor market. Society will be digitized. Consider for a moment that many of the most in-demand jobs today did not exist a decade ago.
The World Economic Forum predicts that more than 65% of children will get a job that does not currently exist. You will agree with me that education is fundamental. Continuous training that is adaptable to new professional opportunities will be key.
According to this forum, the academic skills we now consider important for employment will cease to be so in five years. Creativity and emotional intelligence will take over, along with other non-cognitive skills such as adaptability and teamwork. It is important that we, as a society, reflect on this.
Technological progress does not make human labor obsolete; it will continue to be the engine of the economy and of banks. Bank employees, increasingly specialized and customer-centric, will continue to offer the products and services that clients demand through their preferred channel.
