7 skills that future employers will be looking for
Futureproof your CV by learning about the talents that employers of the future will most likely be seeking for, as well as the online courses you can take to train.
The workplace is in a perpetual state of upheaval. The abilities required to be successful in today’s employment are vastly different from those required in the past. According to the same rationale, future vocations will need the acquisition of whole new abilities. As existing functions become outdated, new positions will emerge, some of which do not yet have names.
The following decade is expected to be a period of extremely rapid development. According to the World Economic Forum, when employment is altered by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we will need to reskill more than 1 billion people by 2030. This will apply to both existing employees and those that will be created in the future.
According to the WEF, 42% of the key skills necessary to execute present professions will change in the next few years. Change is happening at an exponential pace, stated Klaus Schwab, the WEF’s founder and executive chair.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, often known as Industry 4.0, is defined by connectedness, with data and information being exchanged across platforms and media. Boundaries between the physical, digital, and even biological domains will be blurred.
Automation and machine learning will be at the forefront of these transformations. These are likely to result in the most substantial changes in terms of worker skills. Old positions will be automated out, and new ones will be created to interact with these automated technologies. While technology has the potential to greatly enhance our lives, those who lack the necessary skills risk being left behind. The coronavirus pandemic will very probably increase the impacts of this.
While politicians will be responsible for many of the good and bad consequences, people wishing to better their future employability would do well to identify and learn the most desired skills in future employment. Skills shortages are anticipated to emerge, resulting in a strong demand for trained individuals.
We’ve developed a list of what we believe some (but certainly not all!) of these future abilities may be. The general agreement seems to be that future employers will need a combination of hard and soft talents. Both are included in this list.
1. Knowledge of data
According to the WEF, data and AI will be significant drivers of future development in the foreseeable future.
It’s almost cliche to claim we live in the “Big Data” era. This does not make it any less true. Data is being captured on an unprecedented scale, and it is being utilised for everything from enhancing industrial processes to keeping shelves stocked to correctly targeting digital advertisements.
The breadth and variety of big data will only expand in the next few years, allowing machine learning and automation. Data is the language that will enable the connectedness that is at the core of Industry 4.0. As a consequence, people who can organise data collecting, understand the outcomes, and make choices based on this information will be in great demand.
While this will be especially significant in professions such as business analysis and data science, data literacy will be useful in many fields. To make the best judgments, farmers, marketers, and physicians will all need to utilise data.
Thus, data skills might be a valuable tool for anyone trying to increase their employability in the future job market.
Careers that are relevant
Marketer
Business Analyst
Data Scientist
2. Artificial intelligence
The second element of the WEF’s coupling with data is AI. Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning are one of the primary drivers of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These will alter the way we work by doing repetitive jobs quicker and with better accuracy than any human could; mapping out patterns to forecast what will happen in the future; and producing highly personalised user experiences.
While some job activities are at danger under the existing system, AI has the potential to transform the way we work and live for the better. Those with the AI abilities necessary to design and execute artificial intelligence systems will be in high demand from businesses and entrepreneurs trying to revolutionise and simplify the way we work and live.
While programming and analytic abilities are essential for AI creation, understanding AI/machine learning will be very beneficial to individuals in other job categories who will be using AI in their operations, as well as the managers supervising things.
Prior to the Coronavirus, it was projected that AI would eventually generate more employment than it would destroy. Because of the present status of the global economy, all estimates for employment growth must be temporarily reconsidered. Those with the ability to build and use artificial intelligence and machine learning, on the other hand, will be in a strong position. We may hope for a trickle-down effect; the World Economic Forum has claimed that AI and associated technologies will improve economic growth, resulting in more employment for everyone.
Careers that are relevant
Engineer in machine learning
UI designer
3. Blockchain
Blockchain ranked first on LinkedIn’s ranking of the most in-demand hard skills in 2020. While most people associate blockchain with Bitcoin, the technology’s potential commercial uses are far broader.
Blockchain is described as a public ledger that is decentralised. It provides a strong and trustworthy record of trades and transactions while bypassing established authorities — in the case of Bitcoin, banks. Blockchain is expected to have a huge influence on finance. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2027, blockchain would have stored 10% of global GDP.
Aside from banking, blockchain might be used in recruiting to verify qualifications and job history – MIT is currently issuing digital degrees. It might be used in logistics and supply chain management to trace the flow of commodities and map the product lifecycle from raw material to end-use. It may also be used as a record of ownership for intellectual property in the area of copyright management.
These are only a handful of the possible uses. Because blockchain is still in its early stages of impacting the world beyond cryptocurrencies, many career possibilities in the industry will be related to the first time of adoption and compliance.
Careers that are relevant
Blockchain developer
UX designer
legal counsellor
4. Marketing and sales
Sales and marketing do not seem to be very promising occupations. These talents, however, will be necessary for future workplaces since they cannot be mechanised. For the time being, these professions need a human touch in order to gain an advantage in the new digital world.
According to the WEF, these positions presently account for the highest part of the existing and future employment market and will continue to do so in 2022, expanding over the following two years. LinkedIn lists sales as one of the top ten career skills for 2020, among buzzier topics like cloud computing and cryptocurrency.
Technology has transformed marketing by introducing new channels such as social media, affiliate marketing (another top LinkedIn talent), and digital content. More crucially, analytic tools enable hitherto unheard-of levels of data collecting and performance monitoring. This raises the stakes, pushing marketers to step up their game in order to remain competitive.
Human marketers will be required to make judgments and direct campaigns regardless of how smart the technologies are. And salesmen will be required to conclude transactions with other individuals. These job tasks continue to bear the burden of generating money, either directly or indirectly.
Careers that are relevant
Salesperson
Manager of social media
Manager of affiliate marketing
5. Medical and nursing care
The world’s population is ageing. In 2015, 12.3% of the global population was above the age of 60. It is expected that by 2030, this will have risen to 16.4%, and by 2050, it will have risen to 21.3%.
This trend will be most noticeable in Europe, North America, and East Asia, where lowering birth rates and greater life expectancy will alter the social mix.
As a result, there will be a larger need for healthcare and nursing abilities in the future labour market. We are already experiencing the present and future shortages of nurses in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Japan, among other places.
While nursing is the most in-demand, these countries are experiencing shortages in practically every other kind of healthcare profession.
Careers that are relevant
Nurse
Professionals in healthcare
Doctors of medicine
6. Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is one of the most commonly mentioned qualities in lists of what will be required in the future – as well as the present – work market. It also has personal advantages. High emotional intelligence is one of the most dependable indicators of professional success and wage levels, according to research.
Daniel Goleman proposed the notion in his 1995 book Emotional Intelligence, which indicated that intelligence was more than simply IQ. Since then, it has received widespread recognition and has been the topic of much research and controversy.
Those who have emotional intelligence are aware of their own emotions as well as the feelings of others, and how they affect their behaviours and decisions. They demonstrate humility while providing and accepting criticism, are dependable and devoted to assisting others, and are prepared to apologise and forgive when required.
These characteristics enable us to operate in collaborative circumstances, decrease stress, and get the greatest outcomes from everyone. It’s easy to understand why businesses would want to recruit someone like this. Unfortunately, there is an emotional intelligence skills gap. While this is a disadvantage, it does provide a clear opportunity for individuals looking to improve their own future employability.
Careers that are relevant
Emotional intelligence is required in any occupation that includes interacting with others. Whether a nurse, a CFO, or a coder, emotional intelligence will greatly strengthen your career skills.
7. Creativeness
Creativity is often cited as a critical quality for the future. It is vital to stress that this is not limited to ‘creative’ professions, but applies to all businesses and activities.
According to Accenture, the characteristic of creativity has grown in relevance across all sorts of vocations in recent years. Indeed, others say that creativity is more vital for many jobs than the often-emphasised STEM abilities.
According to this survey, creativity is seen as a particularly important quality in the fields of management and leadership, as well as, curiously, science and engineering. Accenture says that as human-machine cooperation grows, the requirement for creativity (and socio-emotional intelligence) will grow.
This may be more generally applicable. As machine learning and automation take over more and more day-to-day operations, we will witness a levelling effect amongst various organisations. Creativity will be the distinguishing element.
Certainly, we’ve seen the enormous effect of creativity in the realm of digital entrepreneurship, where the greatest ideas are typically defined by how to use technology rather than the technology itself (Everything from Tinder to Uber is based on GPS, for instance).
Schools will play an important role in encouraging innovation. Nesta advocates for the incorporation of creativity into the curriculum, saying that nations such as Finland, Australia, and Canada are already doing so. Younger generations are digital natives, but there must also be an emphasis on using these talents creatively.
Careers that are relevant
Creativity, like emotional intelligence, will be at the heart of all future vocations. And, like emotional intelligence, creativity in all of its forms cannot be mechanised. We may be able to employ machines to perform the heavy lifting, but they can only do what we teach them to.
It is up to us to recognise the connections, take chances, and identify the issues that we feel ought to be addressed. After all, machines can only learn what humans instruct them to.
