This has been a year of increasing conversation around the future of work. The pace at which technology has affected our jobs and skill requirements has escalated considerably. Discussion about how technology - AI, automation, and more - will impact those requirements is at an all-time high.
I tend to agree with the experts that believe there will be enough work for our increasing population but that the type of work will change dramatically and shift very quickly. The transition will be the most challenging we've ever seen.
McKinsey finds that roughly 50% of current work activities are "automatable" and predicts that hundreds of millions of workers could be potentially displaced by 2030 (1).
While this bodes for an uncertain future, the impact on our job market today has numerous positive elements. This shift is creating massive opportunities for individuals with proficiencies in a variety of skills. And these opportunities will grow as technologies continue to evolve and new skill requirements emerge.
As skills are at the core of how Teamatics helps its customers, we pay close attention to skill trends, both in our data and from the perspectives of other experts, such as Mercer, Deloitte, the World Economic Forum, LinkedIn, etc. I've shared some of these perspectives below with links to great follow-up reading.
So what do we see in all of this data? Here are the common threads and what we consider the top 10 strategic skills as we look ahead to 2018:
Adaptability
Analytics
Collaboration
Communication
Creativity/Innovation
Emotional Intelligence
Entrepreneurship
People Management
Problem Solving
Sales
If you are an employer thinking about 2018, I highly encourage you to consider the talent you will need in the future, particularly as it relates to emerging technologies, as those skills will be difficult to find in the available workforce.
And if you are an individual thinking about your future, whether you are in the workforce today or a student looking ahead, take note of where demand will be in the years to come. If you have passions that align with emerging job and skill demand, consider focusing on the development of those skills.
As for me, I'm excited to work closely with our customers to help them identify and close their skill gaps and build their workforces of the future. I'm also looking forward to seeing what the upcoming year brings and how this list will look a year from now.
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Mercer's top in-demand skills (2):
Design Thinking
Innovation
Global Mindset
Data Analytics
Digital Savvy
Virtual Collaboration
Inclusive Leadership
Change Management
Entrepreneurship
Sales
Deloitte's skills critical for the future workforce (3):
Problem Solving
Creativity
Project Management
Listening
Moral and Ethical Decision Making
The World Economic Forum's top 10 skills that will be required for jobs in 2020 (4):
Complex Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Creativity
People Management
Coordinating with Others
Emotional Intelligence
Judgment and Decision Making
Service Orientation
Negotiation
Cognitive Flexibility
LinkedIn's most desired skills for the top 20 emerging jobs (5):
Management
Sales
Communication
Marketing
Start-Ups
Python
Software Development
Analytics
Cloud Computing
Retail
LinkedIn's most desired soft skills (5):
Adaptability
Culture Fit
Collaboration
Leadership
Growth Potential
Prioritization
3 - https://dupress.deloitte.com/dup-us-en/focus/human-capital-trends.html
4 - https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/02/what-skills-do-graduates-need-to-get-a-job/
5 - https://economicgraph.linkedin.com/research/LinkedIns-2017-US-Emerging-Jobs-Report
Learn how Teamatics helps companies grow skills and careers.
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