Building Skills for the Future of Work

In the HR world today, we hear a lot about upskilling or new skilling the workforce to prepare for changes — whether it’s adapting to new technology or new ways of doing business. In fact, according to research from PwC1, the availability of key skills is a top concern for business leaders worldwide as they look to ready their companies for the future of work. But even though technology is driving the need for new skills, the skills that will help companies tackle the challenges they face — from transforming in the face of disruption to pursuing revenue growth and increasing operational efficiency — are not technical. In fact, training for those skills is producing less return2 than it has in the past because business changes are so rapid. Some skills become outdated or unnecessary thanks to automation, for example. But regardless of our predictions, technology can create jobs just as much as it replaces them. Increasingly, it’s our uniquely human skills that will qualify us for those roles and help organizations adapt to these changes.