Changing: option or need?

In-demand skills in the automotive sector: once again technology is driving change

We’ve got something in the works at Gi Group Holding. And it involves the automotive sector. That’s why I chose to focus my current article on some important, albeit broader, trends currently affecting this industry in relation to sought-after job skills. No big surprise here though: the evolution in technologies being built into car design and construction is having a big impact on the skills that workers need: from designers to builders on to supply chain managers and marketers.

Green and autonomous

A big shift in sector skills searches relates to the major changes in fuel sourcing and driving paradigms adopted in larger markets like the USA and the EU. In the latter economic bloc, for example, governments have committed to phasing out sales of traditional combustion engines in vehicles by 2035 and shifting the bulk of the market to zero-emission vehicles, primarily electric vehicles (EVs), by 2030. This means that you have a fully new(er) set of needs for talent to take over vehicle design and production. Specifically, greater investment will be made to acquire talent that understands electric battery technology and design. Industry workers will need to liaise more with community partners to set up parameters for and put in place charging stations – this with a specific focus on energy management. And while it may not seem obvious, the industry will also need some highly-skilled communications talent to explain changes from the traditional to a modern, electricity-driven vehicle market and how consumers (drivers) operate in it – in terms of fuel (energy) consumption, vehicle and fuel pricing, easing vehicle range anxiety and much more. Also, from an internal perspective, the industry will require good HR and comms managers to guide employees through this massive transformation without causing excessive fears and concerns over job security.

On top of the green factor, you have the industry’s other big evolutionary moment: increased production of autonomous vehicles (AVs). This shift calls for a lot more technology-facing skills in terms of how these machines’ internal structure and guidance systems work. Vehicle design will be highly data-driven and require top-level insights into, and understanding of, data analytics, machine learning and the design and operation of sensor technologies. For these cars and trucks to work in a safe manner, automotive operations will need to ramp up their software engineer and programmer fleets. The priority will be to make autonomous vehicles safe-for-road by ensuring they have the sensors and computing analytics in place and properly functioning to deliver problem-free travel that does not put passengers at risk.

Tackling the modern supply chain (including talent)

Interestingly, the supply chain continues to be a critical factor for the automotive industry, but increasingly there is a talent dimension to this issue. Of course, new technologies will mean that industry logistics managers have to plan better their sourcing of battery components (electric parts, lithium batteries, etc.) and computer chips integral to any modern vehicle. However, a recent podcast I checked out discussed in detail the idea of a talent supply chain for the automotive sector. Again, this goes back to vehicle design evolution and vehicle powering systems transformation. Many of the industry's biggest names are playing catch up, to some degree, to tech-heavy vehicle producers like Tesla, and they need to scout for, acquire and retain talent (across the board) that can keep their businesses viable in the EV and AV era. The evolved talent supply chain will plan for hiring skilled workers in the areas of AI, machine learning, data analytics and predictive analytics, cybersecurity (the more computerised your vehicle is, the greater the software security risks) and much more.? The question that lies before us now is twofold: are leading producers in the industry investing enough in reskilling and upskilling their current employees, and do they have a talent supply chain pipeline that will ensure the growing demand for tech-heavy knowledge is met?

Industry transition is never easy, and the current green revolution is putting big demands on human resources in the automotive sector. Our teams at Gi Group Holding are well aware of this and have done their homework on where talent search and skills training for the industry is headed. So, keep an eye out for further insights on this topic in October: a detailed report is on its way.