Employable skills in future and their implications for us in the future

We have the means to reskill and upskill individuals in unprecedented numbers, to deploy precision safety nets which protect displaced workers from destitution, and to create bespoke maps which orient displaced workers towards the jobs of tomorrow where they will be able to thrive.

Half of employees at workplaces will need to reskill in the next five years, as the "double-disruption" of the economic impacts of the pandemic and increasing automation transforming jobs takes hold.

It is estimated that by 2025, 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labour between humans and machines.

But even more jobs – 97 million – may emerge that are more adapted to the new division of labour between humans, machines and algorithms.

Greater adoption of technology will mean in-demand skills across jobs change over the next five years, and skills gaps will continue to be high.

For those workers who stay in their roles, the share of core skills that will change by 2025 is 40% and 50% of all employees will need reskilling (up 4%).

Critical thinking and problem-solving top the list of skills that employers believe will grow in prominence in the next five years.

The World Economic Forum revised their ‘Future of Jobs Report’ in October 2020. This updated survey places the following as the top 15 skills required for 2025:

1. Analytical thinking and innovation

2. Active learning and learning strategies

3. Complex problem-solving

4. Critical thinking and analysis

5. Creativity, originality and initiative

6. Leadership and social influence

7. Technology use, monitoring and control

8. Technology design and programming

9. Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility

10. Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation

11. Emotional intelligence

12. Troubleshooting and user experience

13. Service orientation

14. Systems analysis and evaluation

15. Persuasion and negotiation

Looking at the transition from the past 10 years to 2025 skills, it looks like there’s a lot less focus on simply maintaining a product, selling it, and managing people and a transition towards skill acquisition, a growth mindset, personal entrepreneurship, thinking through new situations, and a deep understanding of people.

In many ways these 2025 skills look like they’re important in the present.

No matter what career you may consider, developing and enhancing these skills is useful. Future skills can also help you:

1. Become more adaptable

2. Adjust to career changes and new environments

3. Open opportunities for advancement

4. Succeed in a variety of settings

5. Improve teamwork skills

6. Operate in a digital world

7. Add value beyond what automation systems and artificial learning offer

8. Offer greater benefits to companies that hire you

As much as I am a fan of following one’s passion, passion alone may not be enough. We must find a job that:

1. We are good at

2. We love

3. The world needs

4. We can be paid for

For business leaders, understanding what skills and jobs are rising is essential as you look to hire, but more importantly look to evolve your business.

Too often reskilling and upskill is not part of the strategic plan which is a big miss when you look to evolve your business process and implement new technology.

Training and upskilling should not be an afterthought, but instead should come before technology so that you don’t get taken advantage of by vendors, consulting firms, and most importantly so you can create and foster the talent to innovate and grow.

Therefore, understanding the skills and jobs that are increasing in demand isn’t just useful for job seekers, but also business leaders.

Everyone needs a boost to improve their soft skills, which are always used, so having a one-up on your peers will help you. Good soft skills are one of the top things employers look for. Here are some ways you can improve your soft skills:

1. Prioritize skill development

2. Self-reflect and accept feedback.

3. Work on writing skills.

4. Take some online courses.

5. Accept a leadership role

Once you know what soft skills are and how to build on them, the next step is figuring out how to put them on your resume properly.

Employers respond more to resumes with their format or skills listed in a particular way. Here is how you can do that:

1. Know what soft skills the employers want.

2. Compare your skills to the job requirements

3. Add the skills used in the experience section

4. Add your soft skills to the skills section

The above future employable skills mentioned will have several implications for us in the future. These will be;

1. Individual Impacts

>Individuals need to navigate our rapidly changing landscape the diversity of organizational forms and the various skill requirements

>They need to continually assess and reassess and adapt the skills they have and need.

>They also need to find resources to get the skills they need

2. Educational institutions impacts

>Educational institutions should integrate new media literacy into their curriculum

>They need to include experiential learning like programmes that emphasize the development of soft skills such as the ability to collaborate, learning work in groups, to read social cues and to respond adequately and accurately

>They need to broaden their scope from teens and young adults to people of all ages.

>They also need to integrate interdisciplinary training that allows students to develop a wider range of skills in a wider range of subjects

3. Businesses Impact

>Businesses need to adapt their workforce planning and developing strategies to ensure alignment with the future skills discussed.

>They need to use technology to ensure their employees have the skills they need and to enable their employees to renew these skills.

>They need to collaborate with universities to enable lifelong learning outcomes.

4. Government and policymakers impact

>Governments need to take a leadership role and should make education a national priority