5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Preparing young people for the future of work in the Global South is a complex and multifaceted task, and differs from young Northern futures. Some of these differences include definitions of work, school exit points, and the nature and content of career or vocational guidance. Also different is the gap between desired and accessible futures. Much research is currently focused on the 'hard skills' (and qualifications) young people need as well as the 'soft skills' that will be needed as digital innovation redefines the role of human beings in work in the face of Artificial Intelligence, big data and machine learning, amongst other digital innovations. Many speak of the ‘agility’ and ‘curiosity’ required of young people in the fourth industrial revolution and of the analytical, creative and critical-thinking skills that no robot or artificial intelligence modality will be able to emulate. But will 'knowing how' and 'knowing what' be enough for young people in the Global South? What if questions about the future become 'knowing if', 'knowing when' or 'knowing whether' futures will materialize as expected? This session therefore invites empirical and conceptual papers that focus on youth un-, under- and informal employment; definitions, meanings and measurements of employment; the changing nature of work; hard and soft skills; the need for new imaginaries of the meaning-, circular-, gig-, orange-, blue-, and green-economies; and the values and dispositions that young people require to successfully navigate non-linear, disrupted, fragmentary, portfolio journeys into the future.