Skills for the Future of Work
The Future of Work is here
“The emerging contours of the new world of work in the Fourth Industrial Revolution are rapidly becoming a lived reality for millions of workers and companies around the world” declared Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab in a 2018 report detailing the organization’s view on the future of jobs. When we talk about the future of work, it is easy to make the mistake that this discussion is about changes that are only slowly approaching and not yet influencing our lives. After all, the very term ‘the future of work’ implies that this new world of work is yet to come. A future problem, that people in the future will deal with. However, as suggested by Schwab and a host of other specialists and futurists, the ‘future’ of work is — paradoxically — already here.
New technologies are transforming the way we work
For the past two decades, advanced information technologies have been fundamentally transforming interactions in the workplace, modes of working and communication, and even the content of work itself. This change is happening across all industries. For example, the healthcare industry has been revolutionized with the help of advanced surgical robotics, virtual reality treatments, blockchain electronic health records, and data-driven preventive healthcare planning.
Technology is not only impacting the content of work, but it is also transforming ways of working. For example, high-speed mobile internet and communication technologies allow white-collar workers to work anywhere and at any time. Research has summarized this transformation as the decoupling of work from place and from time. These changes saw a major acceleration in the spring and summer of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of workers to work remotely from home.
Furthermore, as intelligent machines have rapidly improved efficiency and speed and communication technology enables constant connectivity, customers are demanding faster and higher quality work, increasing stress and workload for many white-collar and blue-collar workers. These demands have grown further in the high-pressure context of the COVID-19 crisis.
Human vs machine?
Popular media often portrays intelligent machines as the destroyers of jobs. While some workers will undoubtedly be replaced, research also indicates that a significant percentage of organizations can expect to see the formation of new work across various industries. Some studies even predict that automation and new technologies promise a net increase in jobs.
Besides, intelligent machines are not the enemy, but can be a valuable co-worker for many knowledge workers. For example, AI-driven algorithms are efficient and promise huge productivity gains as they can take over data-centric repetitive tasks. This work is menial, and the automation of such tasks can allow human workers to spend their working hours on more meaningful work, or to spend less hours at work and instead invest a portion of their time into learning new skills.
Whether we choose to believe those studies that suggest that new technologies will support human workers and make their work more productive and efficient or those that argue that AI and other technologies will replace the human worker altogether, the conclusion is, in both cases, that new skills are needed to survive and thrive in the future of work.
New skills for a new world of work
The above changes have major implications for the skills that workers need to survive and thrive in the new world of work. Individuals must develop new knowledge and new skills as new technologies create new work and new ways of working and communicating. Interestingly, perhaps confusingly, future of work experts disagree on whether ‘hard’ technical skills such as coding or so-called ‘soft’ skills such as creativity or communication will be most important. Yet, the division between technical skills and soft skills for the future of work is problematic. As technology becomes increasingly embedded in our work, the division between technical and soft skills becomes increasingly ambiguous. Hybrid skills that combine technical and soft elements are likely to become increasingly important. One example is the ability to work with intelligent machines, which requires both a basic understanding of how the technology works as well as ‘softer’ skills like adaptability and creativity.
Corporate upskilling and reskilling programmes provide one important mechanism for employees to stay competitive. However, these programmes can often be cumbersome and slow to adapt to the rapidly changing world of work. Consequently, lifelong learning — ongoing self-led development of skills and knowledge — is likely to become increasingly important in protecting one’s competitiveness and employability in the future of work.
This is good news! Homo sapiens have a natural curiosity to learn. From learning to communicate as children to learning to cook a new dish or speak a new language as an adult, we have all discovered new skills and knowledge throughout our lifetimes. In short, we are all lifelong learners. Now is the time to apply our curiosity to discovering the future of work.
