Invest in “Future- Ready & Job-Relevant Skills” During the Corona Pandemic Wave -And Beyond

Invest in “Future- Ready & Job-Relevant Skills”

During the Corona Pandemic Wave -And Beyond

Presented by

Prof. Bhushan Manchanda

Reskilling and Upskilling is vital in the post-Covid-19 world because of the large number of jobs being created that need a host of new skills.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Organizations are increasingly looking forward to upskilling their resources to retain their talent

• The pandemic has put a lot of importance on some key digital skills. Covid-19 has led to various technological advancements or transformations in the IT world.

• There are many courses you can use to up skill yourself to boost your career; these are detailed below. There are various types of  courses available for candidates to seek growth towards their future success.
• The survival of many organizations is contingent on how they leverage cutting-edge technologies to transform their workplace.
• Skill advancement is not a static process, rather it is crucially important to continue it at all levels.
• There is an ever-increasing need for students and employees to learn new skills required for the emerging job market. It is necessary for them to upskill themselves in certain major job-relevant skills which will be needed post-Covid-19.

Preamble:

This article primarily covers three important aspects as under:

·        1.Current Job Market post Covid 19.

·        2.Skills you will need to succeed in the current pandemic-and beyond.

·        3.How to prepare yourself for the Job Market in the ‘New Normal’.

The year gone by saw millions of Indians laid off, both in the formal and informal sectors, with many still struggling to find a job. At the same time, companies in a few sectors went on a hiring spree. Just how much has the employment landscape changed?

The Corona virus outbreak has profoundly altered our daily lives. In a matter of weeks, industries across sectors essentially ground to a halt. Prevention and containment strategies pursued by the Government witnessed people shifting to remote working and learning, embracing the “New Normal

New Thinking and Skills would be required to adapt to the“ New Normal ” life post COVID-19.It is clear that we are not going to back to the normal

Introduction

Exactly a year ago, when India was in the middle of a complete lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 infections, most forecasters, institutional and private, had a bleak assessment of the Indian economy. A large number of them did not see the economy returning to 2019-20 levels of GDP even in 2021-22. These projections were revised favourably in late 2020, largely because of the fact that the easing of lockdown restrictions did not trigger a nation-wide Second Wave in India.

That is not the case anymore. The Second Wave has come with a lag, but it is here — and it is more severe than the first. Daily new cases have broken past records, and many states including economic hubs such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, etc. have imposed lockdown-like restrictions.

Health experts have warned that a Covid-19 Third Wave is “inevitable” in India, as evidence grows that new variants are a contributing factor behind the country’s vicious Second Wave.K Vijay Raghavan, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said at a recent briefing that the high levels of the virus circulating in India meant “a Phase 3 is inevitable” but emphasised he could not give a timeline at this stage.

Vijay Raghavan said the Government had not expected the “ferocity” of the Second Wave that has enveloped India over the past few weeks, with devastating consequences. According to the World Health Organization, last week India accounted for 46% of the world’s new coronavirus cases. Vijay Raghavan said there was a high likelihood of new variants emerging in India in the future, which may be more “immune evasive” and transmissible, and that even after this Second Wave had plateaued, strong disease surveillance and Covid safety measures should remain in place in India.

Poor medical infrastructure and lack of preparedness are severely compromising the fight against Covid-19, both in the cities and in rural and small-town India

The resurgence of coronavirus cases has caught India’s creaking healthcare system flat-footed again, with reports of shortages in critical-care beds, oxygen, delays in testing and hospitals turning away critically ill patients pouring in from across the country.

With daily infections nearing 400,000—many experts say the actual number is higher—hospitals in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and other cities are stretched to their limits. There is no easy solution to address the shortage of health personnel at this stage. This is the result of decades of neglect of public health in the country. There is a shortage of all categories of staff-doctors, nurses, health care workers and so on.

After overwhelming the health apparatus in cities and towns across states, Covid is spreading into the rural areas, which had largely remained unaffected in the first wave in 2020, creating a myth among many that Covid is an urban phenomenon. It’s not only in MP that villages are witnessing a surge in cases. Rural Maharashtra is perhaps the worst hit and is contributing more cases to the state’s total tally than its urban areas. Rajasthan, Bihar,W.Bengal and Chhatisgarh , too, are reporting a rapid increase in Covid cases from the rural areas while the spread in rural Uttar Pradesh and W.Bengal are being blamed, among other things, on the flouting of Covid protocols during the Panchayat and State Assembly elections respectively held through April. The Kumbh Mela religious celebration during April in Haridwar in Uttarakhand that brought 2.5 million people to the Ganges River was another super spreader.

While lack of awareness and reluctance to submit to testing and treatment make the rural population more susceptible to Covid, the problem is compounded by the fact that most of the medical infrastructure, especially the tertiary centres, is concentrated in the cities, where serious patients from the villages are now heading in the hope of finding treatment.

Caught off guard, both the Centre and State Governments are exploring strategies to stop the Second Wave of Covid from sweeping the rural areas, where the bulk of the population lives.

India remains badly placed to tackle the rapid spread of coronavirus despite several reforms and the unprecedented crisis has highlighted the need to increase investments in the healthcare sector, Fitch Solutions said last week."The continued lack of medical funding and healthcare infrastructure inform our view for the potential epidemic to be worse if it is not adequately contained," it said.

With 8.5 hospital beds per 10,000 population and 8 physicians per 10,000, the country's healthcare sector is not equipped for such a crisis. Moreover, the significant inefficiency, dysfunctioning and acute shortage of the healthcare delivery systems in public sector do not match upwith the growing needs of the population.In addition, said Fitch, more than 80 per cent of the population still does not have any significant health insurance coverage and about 68 per cent of the population has limited or no access to essential medicines.

The low level of public spending on health is both a cause and an exacerbating factor accounting for the poor quality, limited reach and insufficient public provisioning of healthcare."Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic has brought out the critical importance of public sector in health provisioning," said Fitch.

The country of 1.35 billion people has administered 80.9 million vaccine doses until April, the most after the United States and China, but it lags far behind in immunisations per capita.

India, the world's biggest vaccine maker, expanded its inoculation programme to include everyone above the age of 45. But so far it has vaccinated only about one in 25 people compared with nearly one in two in Britain and one in three in the United States.

Looming Economic Crisis

Various Investment Grade Credit Ratings Agencies have revised their forecast for India's economic growth in the current financial year ie 2021-22 downwards. Moody's has revised its forecast to 9.3 per cent from an earlier projection of 13.7 per cent. The rating agency has also denied any chances of a sovereign upgrade in near future. According to Moody’s, the slower pace of growth will drag down near-term economic recovery and affect long-term growth dynamics.

The United Nations has raised India's growth forecast to 7.5 per cent for calendar year 2021, marking a 0.2 per cent increase from its projection in January, but said the country's outlook for the year remains highly fragile. India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth may slip to 8.2 per cent in financial year 2021-22 if the Second Wave of Coronavirus pandemic in the country peaks by June-end, rating agency CRISIL said a few days back while maintaining its baseline estimate of 11 per cent growth.

S&P Global Ratings slashed India's GDP growth forecast for the current financial year to 9.8 per cent saying the Second Covid Wave may derail the budding recovery in the economy and credit conditions. Economists at State Bank of India, India’s largest bank have cut the FY22 GDP growth projection for the economy by 60 basis points to 10.4 percent from 11 percent, and said India could have done better to tackle the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The downgrading of growth projections by SBI was triggered largely due to restrictions being imposed by different states. “Given the current circumstances of partial/local/weekend lockdowns in almost all states, our growth forecast is now revised downwards. SBI’ revised FY22 growth projection now stands at 10.4 per cent for real GDP and 14.2 per cent for nominal GDP,” the economists said.

India’s funding grade sovereign rating might face strain attributable to rising headwinds towards development because the nation battles the Second Covid Wave, which can exacerbate the nation’s excessive debt and monetary stress and improve monetary sector dangers, international rating businesses mentioned. However, growth-enhancing structural reforms and addressing infrastructure gaps might bolster the rating outlook.

The nation has the bottom funding grade rating with a adverse outlook from all three main international businesses — S&P, Fitch and Moody’s. Another downgrade would push the rating beneath funding grade. “India has the highest debt ratio of Fitch-rated ‘BBB’ EM sovereigns at around 90% of GDP, and has limited fiscal headroom from a ratings perspective,” mentioned Jeremy Zook, Director, Sovereign Rankings, Fitch Ratings. “The rating would come under additional pressure from a worsening of the debt ratio trajectory resulting from weaker medium-term growth prospects or further widening of fiscal deficits.”

Rising Unemployment/ Loss of Jobs/Slow progress in creation of new jobs

Job losses have pushed up India’s unemployment rate to 8% in April,21 compared to 6.5% in March while the employment rate fell to 36.8% in April as against 37.6% in March. There have been 7.4 million job losses in April due to lockdowns, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The report said job prospects would remain bleak in the ongoing fiscal 2022.

As per the CMIE, the loss of salaried jobs during these three months totalled 8.6 million, while the cumulative loss of salaried jobs since the pandemic started last year was 12.6 million. India had 85.9 million salaried jobs in 2019-20. This has come down to 73.3 million in April this year.

The CMIE said salaried job losses were disproportionately from rural India — 68% in rural vs 32% in urban India. Urban India accounted for 58% of total salaried jobs in 2019-20, while rural salaried jobs accounted for 42%. “This disproportionate share of rural salaried jobs in the losses indicates that the damage is mostly among the medium and small-scale industries that are located predominantly in rural India,” it said.

According to the CMIE, the Second Wave of Covid-19 has stalled economic recovery. “New investments that could create jobs in large numbers are unlikely to be made during the year,” it said, adding that prospects for jobs looked bleak during 2021-22.

With lockdowns returning amid the devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, the working class might face a "serious livelihood crisis" ahead, well-known economist Jean Dreze He observed that today's situation is far more critical than a year earlier at the time of nationwide lockdown. "The economic consequences of local lockdowns may not be as destructive as those of a national lockdown. But in some respects, things are worse this time for the working class," he said.

The economist said that the COVID-19 crisis has become more serious with mutations in the virus, which can spread faster, which will make the economic revival harder than earlier. He said that several people exhausted their savings during the lockdown last year and now have no money left. Many of those who took loans last year may not be able to do it again. Dreze said the Government's relief package saved some of the people last year. "In short, we are heading towards a serious livelihood crisis," he said.

India’s Demographic Dividend

In the middle of May,21 the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, during his discussion with the Health Ministers of various states said vaccine production was being ramped up to cater to the increased demand. According to him the number of vaccine doses administered in India will reach 51.6 crore by the end of July,21. This includes over 18 crore jabs already administered to the eligible beneficiaries.

The Health Minister further said that this along with the slated approval of the new vaccine of Zydus Cadila, Serum Institute of India- Novavax vaccine, Bharat Biotech's nasal vaccine and the Genova mRNA vaccine will push the availability of COVID vaccines to 216 crore doses in the August-December,21  period. This will ensure that the majority of the Indian population over 18 years gets vaccinated.

India has long been touted as the next big economic growth story after China. One of the primary reasons for that has been its young population in an aging world. The hope has remained that as the young Indian population enters the working age, it will lead to higher economic growth – a demographic dividend. Since 2018, India's working-age population (people between 15 and 64 years of age) has grown larger than the dependant population — children aged 14 or below as well as people above 65 years of age.

India has therefore the potential to achieve a much faster pace of economic growth than both China and the US provided the Govt. frames necessary policies, Companies and organizations re-engineer and reinvent themselves and our youth up skill themselves and take advantage of the opportunities during this pandemic period.

Future Ready & Job-Relevant Skills-Up skill Yourself

In today's era of digital technology, the survival of many organisations is contingent on how they leverage cutting-edge technologies to transform their workplaces into augmented environments. However, for this transformation to happen, organisations must make prudent decisions and avoid the costly “buy, not build” talent strategy i.e., opting for expensive new hires instead of re-skilling or upskilling the existing employees.

Skill advancement is not a static process, rather it is crucially important to continue it at all levels. If one envisions to form an organisation that is constantly learning, growing, and achieving its targets, they need to have learning employees who are keen to adopt new skills and move in pace with the ever-evolving business landscape.

Upskilling is a term well-known. With technology causing a tectonic shift in the workplace and creating new possibilities that can be fully realized only by a modernised workforce, there is an ever-increasing need for students and employees to learn new skills and competencies that are required for the emerging job market.

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to various technological advancements or transformations in the IT world. Many job profiles will get outdated or disappear from the market whereas several others are all set to grow exponentially and rule the tech world in upcoming times.

And consequently, it becomes necessary for all the individuals out there (whether it be final year students or working professionals) to adopt these changes and prepare themselves with the skills that will be in-demand by the companies post Covid-19 situation to build a successful career!

There are reports that companies are downsizing operations, lay-offs are taking place, salaries and wages of current workers and employees have been reduced, companies have gone back to WFH, and an economic crisis looms ahead.

A sense of fear and uncertainty is palpable across the graduates passing out this year from various Colleges and Universities. The economic fallout from COVID-19 has led to record unemployment in our country. College students today feel less confident about landing a job post-graduation.

Not only has COVID-19 impacted college and university operations, but it's also changed how many graduates feel about their careers and job prospects. A number of companies have instituted hiring freezes and canceled internships, affecting both students' overall employability and their opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job skills.

The abrupt change to remote learning due to the Coronavirus - coupled with students' uncertainty about their post-graduation career prospects -can be extremely stressful during a period of immense disruption to normality.

College students often choose their academic majors based on in-demand industries, but the pandemic has changed which industries are needed the most. While COVID-19 has forced many companies to shift their modes of operations, industries like travel, aviation, retail, food, event management and hospitality have been hit hard and are experiencing record job losses.

Important Job Skills for success during Covid-19 and Beyond

The future for college graduates isn't all bleak — many companies are still hiring, and graduates will need to think creatively about how to market their skill sets. They may have to work to gain additional skills needed for more in-demand industries.

As students continue to navigate the reality of the ongoing pandemic, we must accept the fact that the skills required to succeed and advance in the current COVID-19 world are going to look very different. To remain marketable and relevant to employers, employees must be committed to reskilling and upskilling.

You may be a student or a working professional. But it’s a competitive world. The more skills you have, higher are your chances of scoring a good opportunity. What are the missing skills that are keeping you from the career of your dreams? Identify them. Look for the areas you think you need to build on, where you do not have sufficient or updated knowledge in.

We live in an era where we are surrounded by multiple promising options available to enhance our career growth. In this growing and ever-changing world, no one would like to stay unaware of the Skills/Courses which can bring them good career growth and promotions.

Once you have identified these key areas, you will know exactly what new skills you need to learn to improve yourself and add value to your professional capabilities. Now that you have identified the gaps in your current skill set, spend some time searching for courses that will best meet your capability enhancement requirements.

Upskilling courses are the need of the hour as organizations are increasingly looking forward to upskilling their resources to retain their talent. From the learner’s perspective, these courses will not only add spark to your CV but will bring you growth and success in your career.

Who knows better than the working professionals that “Knowledge is your very own asset which can’t be stolen by anyone else”?

Read about each course in detail and shortlist the key courses out of the many listed below that will best augment your career.

As most of us are in lockdown at home, we are left to wonder what a post-coronavirus-world might look like. There’s a lot unknown about how the world will transform after we get the novel coronavirus under control, but it is extremely unlikely that things will just go back to exactly the way they were before. Our workplaces are likely to change, and with it, the skills companies will require. Here are important job skills that are likely to be in high demand in a post-coronavirus world.

 Flexibility and Adaptability

One thing is for certain, the ways companies operate and work are going to change. The world was already changing rapidly, but the pandemic accelerated it. There will be few “jobs for life.” Someone that is going to succeed in a post-coronavirus-world will need to be able to adapt to ever-evolving workplaces and have the ability to continuously update and refresh their skills.

The lockdown has brought about many changes in our lives and there will definitely be more changes waiting our way after the pandemic is over. The way offices function, how we work etc. will change and with work from home becoming a reality, the change has already begun. People with the skills to adapt quickly to changes would be of great value to their workplaces.

 Crisis Management and Problem-Solving

During a crisis, there's never a clear guide for how to survive. In our current pandemic climate, companies must determine who will manage and solve a problem, and how. Being a good Crisis Manager means being flexible, agile in the face of changing priorities, and innovative with problem-solving.

According to a 2020 Job Outlook survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 91.2% of employers desired seeing problem-solving skills on candidates' resumes.

If you're working for an organization, it's important to centralize crisis-management action so that you can report to and communicate with a crisis-management committee or group. Ideally, you'll have a team of people whom you consult about managing crises and who can ensure communication is disseminated throughout the proper channels.

Those who excel at crisis management boast short and long-term planning abilities and make great proactive problem-solvers; they also possess agility and adaptability and are able to think through all possible scenarios and solutions.

Additionally, good crisis managers understand the importance of sustaining multiple modes of communication with their crisis response team. Being able to leverage phone, email, social media, and text messaging is critical for effective crisis handling.

With statewide restrictions and social distancing, more people are turning to online media to stay abreast of COVID-19 trends. Social media managers play a crucial role in developing and sharing a company's communication plan, and ensuring constituents remain informed.

Technological Skills and Tech Savviness

We are all surrounded by technologies—they're everywhere, and companies are investing heavily in technology. Brands are using technology to heighten their efforts, boost sales, and increase revenue.

The Research Survey by Statista shows that worldwide companies spent over $3 billion on Technology in 2019. Please note that the Technology market includes:

·        Telecom services

·        Artificial intelligence

·        Software application

·        Computer pieces of equipment

·        Hardware maintenance

·        Systems integration

·        Communications equipment

However, to better position yourself for the job market, you should learn new technologies and their impact on your niche market. It improves your work personality by showing human resource (HR) personnel and employers that you understand industry trends and the impact of change.

Technology is shaping the world; that is why brands such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others are developing new technologies and updating existing products. It means that if you're not conversant with technology, you will face challenges in the post-COVID-19.

One of the biggest traits that can help employees survive in a post-coronavirus world is their ability to be tech-savvy. The pandemic has brought about huge digital transformations-employees are working from home, they are doing online meetings and social media tools to connect professionally has become indispensable. According to experts, artificial intelligence, Internet controlled operations,  robotics etc. will be the future that will help industries grow more resilient to pandemics in the future. It is therefore very important that people develop an aptitude to learn new technologies and develop the skills to use emerging tools in their work effectively.

Therefore to prepare yourself for a post-coronavirus-world is to acquire Technology Skills. The COVID-19 pandemic is fast-tracking digital transformations in companies as they are trying to become more resilient to future outbreaks and disruptions. The reality is that the following technologies will make businesses more resilient to future pandemics, and anyone that can help companies exploit these technologies will be in a great position:

·         Artificial Intelligence,

·        Big Data,

·        The Internet of Things,

·        Virtual and Augmented Reality,

·        Robotics

·        Machine Learning

·        Cloud Computing

·        Business Analytics

·        Data Analytics

·        Risk Management

 Whether you work in an office, factory or have a sales job in a post-coronavirus world, you need to be comfortable with these tech tools as well as be able to work with them effectively.  

Soft Skills (Interpersonal Skills)

You may be wondering, "What are Soft Skills, and why are they important?" Among those searching for jobs, be it online remote work or in-office jobs, you will find two categories of job seekers. They are:

1.     Qualified candidates for the position, and

2.     The perfect candidates for the work.

Soft skills are vital at this stage because they contrast the qualified job seekers and the perfect ones. You agree that there is fierce competition in all areas of business, including the job market. So, there are tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of candidates who want the same job as you. As a result, employers have a strict prerequisite for job applicants. The standard goes beyond technical knowledge and capabilities. That is because most types of jobs involve human contact and communication.

Soft skills play a vital role here. Even if you lack in some areas of hard skills, soft working skills puts you in an excellent position to qualify for jobs. However, keep in mind that soft skills are different from software skills. Software skills are the capabilities and knowledge to use computer programs and applications.

Examples of Soft Skills You Should Master

Although there are several soft skills you can master to add to your resume, here are a few soft skills that will put you at the top of the recruiters' list:

·        Communication Skills

·        Flexibility

·        Self-Motivation

·        Work Ethics

Companies are continually searching for individuals with these work skills to help take their business to the next level. Therefore, develop vital soft skills or improve upon what you already have to land your dream job in the post-Coronavirus world.

Problem-Solving Skills

Interpersonal skills, also known as Problem-solving skills, is a fantastic example of a must-have soft skill for job seekers. Why is that so? As the name suggests, it offers you the expertise and know-how to tackle complex issues in business and challenging situations in your organization.

To understand problem-solving better, consider the following attributes that fall under problem-solving skills:

·        Research

·        Analytics

·        Creativity

·        Active listening

·        Decision making

These competencies or credentials are top marketing expertise that companies are looking for in a potential candidate. For example, content marketing, SEO, social media, and email marketing demands the problem-solving skills listed above.

Human resource personals are critical of these criteria when hiring job applicants. So, when improving your soft skills, ensure to focus on enhancing your problem-solving skills. It gives you an edge over the competition.

Creativity & Innovation

We have already seen the importance of creativity and innovation during the pandemic. Businesses that have been able to come up with ways to deliver services virtually (like many healthcare providers have done) or quickly shift to new products (like Bharat Electronics Ltd. that apart from making advanced electronic products for the Armed Forces, started manufacturing Ventilators during the pandemic period ) have been able to better weather the storm. In a post-coronavirus world, we will need human ingenuity to invent, dream up new products and ways of working. Human creativity is going to be essential.

Data Literacy

Data literacy means being able to ask and answer questions about data and share conclusions with others about what those findings represent. Someone who is data literate can comprehend data, accurately interpret charts and graphs, and understand analytical methods and techniques.

In a 2020 survey by a Research agency, 80% of decision-makers believed having access to data had a positive impact on their organizations; however, just over half of respondents reported employee resistance to using data. Knowing how to work with data isn't just a necessity for data analytics teams. Nowadays, data plays a huge role in many positions and is heavily utilized in industries like technology, hospitality, and education.

Since so many perceive data as something confusing and convoluted, there's a greater need for people who can be "Data Communicators," i.e., those who can make data more visually appealing and easier to understand. In fact, data visualization has been ranked a top-five Tech skill. People who are competent in data visualization can help by transforming this resistance to using data into eagerness and acceptance.

As the fuel of the 4th Industrial Revolution, data is a critical asset for every company. With the right data, companies are able to better predict the impact of future business disruptions and are better able to serve customers with the right products and services during or after any pandemic. Companies that understand business trends and shifting customer needs are better able to respond in the right way should a future pandemic come along. However, the data is useless to a company unless there is data literacy—people equipped with skills to understand the data and make better decisions because of it. Professionals with data literacy will be even more appealing to prospective employers than ever before.

Critical Thinking

Another skill that will be essential as our economy rebuilds from the damage done by COVID-19 is critical thinking. During the pandemic, we have seen a spike in fake news and misrepresentations of data and studies, as Leaders, Businesses, and Governments are trying to shift blame and divert attention and proper scrutiny. People who can objectively evaluate information from diverse sources to determine what is credible will be valued. Not all information should be trusted, but organizations will need to rely on critical thinking to understand what information would be useful for decision-making.

Digital Engagement

Companies around the world have increasingly digitized their operations and processes, Some of the most in-demand computer and digital engagement skills include social media, mobile/video, social media marketing, and content marketing.

A 2019 Research Study found that over 50 % of Indians use some type of social media, with YouTube and Facebook being the most widely used platforms. Digital engagement has gained more prominence in society, causing many businesses that initially relied less on digital engagement to focus on ramping up their digital services. Nearly 60% of Indians use some type of social media.

Healthcare providers, for example, now offer telehealth appointments, while grocery stores and restaurants have expanded their contactless and delivery options. Meanwhile, schools are figuring out how they can give students an equally satisfying and engaging learning experience online. Company recruiters have also had to think creatively about the ways they interview and engage with prospective candidates using web conferencing tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

The rapid shift to digital engagement not only forces us to advance our digital literacy and proficiency, but also reminds us to heed the potential consequences of digital services, such as data security (e.g., how are you protecting customer data?), scalability (what are the consequences if 100% of your engagement is virtual?), and customer usability (what is the user experience for virtual platforms?).

Digital and Coding Skills

The digital transformation of organizations got a boost because of coronavirus; therefore, professionals with digital skills, including coding, web development, and digital marketing, will become even more important than they are now. People who can keep the digital business running—and thriving—during economic downturns or pandemics that make in-person business impossible or less efficient are going to be on the must-hire list. And, basically, All companies are now digitally based in some way, so the opportunities to put digital skills to work are countless.

Due to public health reasons, more businesses are allowing individuals to work from home. You may prefer working in a physical environment with other people, but coronavirus and the new reality we face may not allow that for everyone. In addition to this, many organizations are not allowed to bring people into their physical office anymore.

Luckily, working remotely has several benefits. You often get to set your own hours, save time on transportation, and enjoy your home office’s view. But because many people are working from their homes, digital skills like design, programming, and content writing are in high demand. Even jobs that traditionally required in-person attendance are turning into remote positions. However, you need to ensure that you have the proper time-management, organization, and communication skills.

Leadership Skills

When a ship is in trouble, only an able captain can sail it through troubled water. During this hour of crisis, people with strong leadership qualities can lead a team to success. Industry experts are predicting work from home to be the next big thing. Already many tech giants have asked their employees to work from home till the end of 2021. So people with strong leadership skills who can manage team distantly, inspire teammates to work hard and bring out the best in others would be a safe bet for companies. So, it's time to hone your leadership qualities.

One of the changes in a world that is heavily augmented by the support of machines and where social distancing and home working might continue for the foreseeable future, is that more people at all levels of an organization will be in a position where they lead others. The gig economy is only going to grow post coronavirus, and people will be working in more fluent teams where people are taking the lead at different times. Professionals with strong skills in leadership, including how to bring out the best and inspire teams as well as encourage collaboration, will be in demand.

So, if you're leading a change and helping your organization adapt to the present reality then you must work towards equipping yourself with these 10 must-have skills that will help you sail through:

Leading through change: Change is the only constant. The dynamics are always changing, and they will always continue to be so. If you plan to ably lead for long enough, you must display 'change-capable leadership' that communicates the game plan with every team member, promotes collaboration and stays committed to the cause.

Embrace diversity: If you want to bring in truly diverse culture in your organization then as a leader you need to start from the top. The diversity which is lacking in today's leadership has been proven to improve innovation, employee engagement, bring in new talent and contribute to

the organization's bottom line. To diversify the entire organization ladder requires you to take a closer look at how people are progressing vertically. Identify and eliminate spots which can harm the culture and morale of the workforce. Because ultimately, diversity leads to an inclusive culture.

Leading inclusively: Your team will be half as effective when it will be half as inclusive. However, as you need to embrace diversity, leading inclusivity becomes all the more imperative. As a leader you need to empower all people in your organization to access the same opportunities and challenges; to receive the same level of respect and value, and to be treated as they desire to be treated regardless of inherent or perceived differences. You need to embed inclusive behaviors as a way of doing business. You don't wish to have a half effective team, after all!

Leading virtually: Organizations have relied on digital collaboration tools even before the remote working policies were put in place. Now that it has become the means to stay virtually connected, there's barely any room left for anyone, anywhere. As a leader, your actions need to make sure your workforce is feeling less worried and stressed. Recognize that virtual collaboration occurs when there is a trust-based relationship among the team members. Highlight moments of triumph and never fall short to recognize and praise team members even for small victories.

Promoting learning culture: Leaders are responsible for their organization's culture and the true impact of leadership comes when you promote a positive learning culture. It not only helps you retain and engage your workforce but also creates a significant edge over your competition and reap long-term benefits. Start by proving continual learning opportunities to your workforce, enable sharing of knowledge, testing new ideas and promoting innovation at every level.

Leading innovation: For organizations to truly stay ahead of the pace, they need to explore different opportunities at the same time. It means as a leader you're encouraging team members to go places they've never been. You need to give clear direction, equip them with clear instructions, provide a playbook, necessary resources, and whatever tools they would need to set out on building upon their ideas and further innovate. But be wary that the process of innovation is long and enduring. It might also bring in some failures and you need to be willing to embrace them.

Agile mindset: The fourth industrial revolution which has brought upon us the digital age, emphasizes an agile mindset that is not anchored to a loop. For leaders, agility promotes multifariousness between different challenges that may arise concurrently. It aids you in dissecting the task into much smaller milestones that are easy to conquer. This approach reinforces easier scrutinization that keeps your ultimate goal in sight.

Customer-centric approach: There have been some residue of the past in modern operations. 'Customer is the King', they used to say earlier. Now, the customer might as well have become 'God', if not the king. So, you must not only promote a customer-first approach organization-wide but also ensure every team member understands its importance. It's only when your teams meticulously strive to unravel the problems customers face can they work on delivering them through various channels.

Digitally enabled: As more and more organizations undergo digital transformation to stay relevant, its leadership must put on the digital lens and navigate the age of disruption. Being digitally enabled acts as a strong foundation for leaders and being equipped with the right blend of technology and business competency will lead organizations to success.

Negotiating :No matter what industry you are looking at, businesses need to sell their products and services to keep up. And they also need to negotiate with vendors for better pricing. Therefore, negotiating is and always will be an essential skill in business. However, the economic realities of a world after COVID-19 are more competitive. There is less money moving around, and businesses need to negotiate more effectively to spend less and profit more. If you can show up to a job interview with proven negotiating skills, you already have a decisive advantage over your peers.

Sales Effectiveness: In a competitive world, where consumers and businesses have several options to choose from, sales becomes a crucial skill to hone. Connecting with the consumer and providing a differentiated and consistent customer experience gives companies the competitive edge required to secure a sale.With changing business dynamics, traditional selling methods and approaches are no longer relevant.

Candidates with knowledge of which factors and behaviors impact sales effectiveness, who can leverage value selling over product selling and win every round of negotiation have the potential to turn a business around.

Future graduates must attain a fine blend of theoretical and practical knowledge of relevant skills that the industry demands. Apart from the traditional curriculum, elective courses in emerging technologies delivered by industry experts enable students to graduate with significant job-ready skills, greater salaries, robust alumni status, and a lifelong learning culture.

Emotional Intelligence

In the words of the 19th-century Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 'it takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently'. Fyodor might as well be talking about emotional intelligence. Modern workplaces need you to think beyond deadlines, topline, and bottom-line to be truly successful. As a leader, you need to be compassionate such that there's enough motivation for your team and achieve the desired results.

Emotional intelligence (EQ), also known as emotional leadership and emotional quotient, is central to both personal and professional life. It is a proficiency that allows you the capacity to discern, assess, and respond while recognizing your emotion and those of others.

EQ is one of the newest in-demand entries into the job market, and it is similar to leadership skills. Emotional intelligence has five primary components. These include:

1.Empathy

2. Motivation

3. Self-awareness

4. Self-regulation, and

5. Social skills

These elements are essential in connecting with others (consumers, clients, and potential customers) on emotional levels. Given this, HR personnel are keeping an eye for eligible candidates with powerful EQ to join their team.

 The ability to be aware of, express, and control our emotions and be aware of others' emotions is what emotional intelligence is all about. At times when people might feel uncertain about their job and the future of their business, it is key to connect with people on an emotional level. Individuals with strong EQ will be coveted by organizations of all sizes and in all industries.

Business leaders have been heavily tested by the pandemic, having had to completely revamp company operations, manage teams virtually, and deal with staff shortages and revenue losses. Many feel their on-the-job stress has intensified due to COVID-19, with a number experiencing heightened anxiety, anger, sadness, and/or depression.

Having emotional intelligence as a leader is critical for building and sustaining key interpersonal relationships. A recent research determined that Emotional Intelligence is responsible for close to 60% of a worker's job performance. Moreover, 9 in 10 top performers were found to possess a high level of emotional intelligence.

Now Colleges and Universities have started paying attention to these findings. Certain Colleges and Institutes have added a test of Emotional Intelligence to their admission process. Executives who display emotional intelligence are more perceptive and aware of their emotions, and more likely to excel in leadership positions.

Cultural Competence

As businesses and organizations become more diverse, being able to work with employees who have different social identities (e.g., religion, caste, age, gender, sexual orientation, race, etc.) has turned into a highly valuable skill. Workplace diversity also has many benefits — it's been shown to improve collaboration, productivity, revenue, brand reputation, and overall competitiveness.

In the marketing world, cultural competence is critical to understanding consumer behavior. In order to attract customers, business and finance professionals must understand how their products are perceived and utilized by different groups; they also need to know how to tap into markets to reach diverse consumers.

Businesses that understand and embrace their consumers' diversity will have an advantage in developing more inclusive products and services.

Cyber Security

Cyber Safety or Cyber Security also known as online or internet safety, is all about the responsible and secure use of internet and communication technologies, which are indispensable today.

The term includes 1) being aware of the risks to one’s private data or organisational data as one surfs the Internet 2) using the most appropriate and latest version of software to guard against a potential cyber attack and 3) taking the necessary steps to minimise the damage after such an attack.

With increasing threat, cyber security jobs are increasing in demand across all major sectors. It is expected that global spending on cyber security products and services expected to rise by 12 to 15 per cent until 2021.

Respectively, the Internet market is expected to grow by 7 percent this year and so opportunities.

Here’s an indicative list of the Cyber Security job roles that are highest in demand:

1. Network Security Engineer: You will make sure that online threats are countered and checked through strict implementation of all security systems. You’ll maintain firewalls, check routers and network monitoring tools, and work to improve automation. The average salary for a beginner is around Rs 6 lakh PA.

2. Security Analyst: In this profile, you will help in planning, implementing and upgrading security measures. You’ll monitor and audit security access and conduct tests to identify problem areas. The salary of a beginner is around Rs 6 lakh PA.

3. Security Architect: Here, as the name suggests, you will help design the network and cyber safety architecture for an organisation based on its needs. You will also develop the policies and procedures for how the employees use the security systems. The average salary is over Rs 15 lakh PA.

4. Security Manager: In this role, you will ensure the maintenance of security protocols throughout the organisation. You will be in charge of a team of IT professionals to maintain data security. You will periodically review the existing policies and decide on upgrades as per need. The average salary is over Rs 10 lakh PA.

5. Chief Information Security Officer: This is a senior-level executive position. The CISO is responsible for ensuring that the company’s cyber security plan is in tune with the business goals and operations. The average salary is over Rs 20 lakh PA.

6. Cyber Lawyer: This is an emerging and trending specialization. If you have a passion for both computers and law, then this could be your calling. A cyber lawyer is a techno-legal lawyer. He/she has expertise in the technical aspects of computers, networks, communication devices, etc., as well as comprehensive legal knowledge, including the special laws applicable in techno-legal issues.

Cyber criminals are getting more sophisticated. And with more people staying indoors and using their internet-connected devices, there are more targets than ever before. For businesses, this presents an even worse problem. If a business has a data breach, its customer or financial information could fall into the wrong hands. This could spell the end for any business. 

If you are considering learning a new skill altogether, investing in a Cyber Security training course or certification could make you a sought-after employee in the new job market.

Saas Skills

SaaS (Software as a Service) companies are organizations that use software to provide customers with a service. These businesses create, develop, host, and update the product themselves. SaaS businesses have immediate access to an unrestricted global market and can scale without increasing product delivery costs. Software as a service is one of the most sought-after business opportunities. People looking for their next service role or even their next business venture can develop valuable skills and knowledge in this fast-moving industry.

SaaS is changing the way organizations work. These products distribute data online so that they’re accessible from a web browser on any device. SaaS companies continue to host the software and provide customer support for it. As we can see, SaaS companies have more control over their products than traditional companies do which means they’re inclined to have greater security, faster updates, and a better user experience.

Software as a Service (SaaS) has been the largest and fastest-growing market segment since 2019, with Gartner reporting a 2021 growth forecast of $105 billion for the industries and businesses worldwide. Most of the businesses have shifted to remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading us all into uncharted territory.

We have recently seen massive spikes in traffic around many of the types of software that support distributed workforces. The main increases surround tools that facilitate collaboration, communication, process, and productivity.

This data shows us the shift to remote work does not result in an end to SaaS spending. It simply means SaaS sellers need to adapt to selling remotely. While some reps are used to selling over the phone or via video conferencing from the comfort of their company headquarters, the new twist in this time is that everyone you are selling to is also remote. Remote selling is not a temporary trend. Just as the economic downturn of 2008 led to the cloud-based SaaS boom that became the new norm for digitally modern businesses, remote work will become ingrained in the core of the new “business as usual” and “work from anywhere” following this pandemic.

B2B SaaS companies tend to focus on customer needs that are specific to business owners and management teams. These products are usually made for organizations. Zoom, Salesforce, HubSpot, Google, and Asana are a few examples of B2B companies.

B2C SaaS companies target people who buy products for personal use. Entertainment, personal finance, and organization are a few needs individuals have for which they would need software for. Networking site LinkedIn Premium, Adobe, Netflix,  Dropbox,  credit report service Experian, and dating site Bumble are all B2C SaaS companies.

 Crucial Skills Required For Powerful SaaS Marketing:

Sales and marketing teams are there to show potential customers how innovative and valuable your SaaS product is and, as a result, to boost the product’s sales. The best SaaS sales teams are able to do this with ease, yet, such teams are few and far between. For the success of your SaaS company, you need to have the right inside sales team. Here are the essential skills for SaaS inside sales teams to boost product’s sales.

1) Research & Planning. (We've all heard the famous adage: "failing to plan is planning to fail".) 

2) Project Management.

3) Graphic Design. 

4) Web Development.

5) Creativity.

6) Analytics. 

7) Copywriting.

8) Data Mastering

9) Customer centricity

10)Being Tech savvy

11) Blockchain Technology

The “New Normal

More than one in three employees will likely need to reskill by 2022. Others could be displaced by automation. The solution is to adopt a lifelong approach to learning keeping in view the fact that we may be seeing many more such waves of the Corona virus in the future.

Students, managers, executives, workers and employees will all need to develop advanced future ready- skills to ensure that they retain their jobs or are able to secure jobs in the Covid 19 Wave II pandemic situation and subsequent pandemic situations.

As the newest cohort of graduates embark on their journey of entering the workforce, they will have to cope with a market hit by a pandemic and an unstable global economy. Companies are looking to hire people who can hit the ground running. The success of the “Employee of the New Normal” depends on how quickly and effectively they can address the current business challenge.

So ‘going back’ to the way we were before COVID-19 is not an option. The challenge, and the opportunity, is now to start the process of thinking and acquiring the future- ready skills for the ‘New Normal’.

We cannot re-write the chapters of history already past, but we can learn from them, evolve and adapt. The New Normal may even be a better Normal, certainly a different Normal.

Within education, traditional competencies will require different forms of upskilling. As a first step, leaders will need to examine these competencies through a pre- and post-COVID lens to identify potential and future upskills.

A role-based skill assessment in the organizations will, in turn, increase hiring for skilled talents for each position. The primacy for employability skills will tighten the competition in the job market. This will also amplify the skill gap existing among the graduates and lead to the acute talent crunch. To resolve the issue, the companies may need to upskill or reskill their existing staff. Companies will have to devise a new strategy accordingly. An exceptional assessment method will help to find suitable candidates for job roles and plan a skilling strategy.

General courses/ qualifications may not help students and workers find jobs or retain their jobs. Specific skills in line with the industry requirement are needed -that will enhance their capability, and a hands-on approach and practical experience will give them an added advantage in the job market.

Commit to a Lifetime of Learning 

According to the World Economic Forum, in just five years, 35 percent of the skills deemed essential today will change. There is only one way to remain relevant in a post-coronavirus reality: commit to a lifetime of learning.

When faced with a tight job market, professionals with advanced and expert job skills will still be in demand and will likely struggle less to find employment. The good news is that improving your skills has never been easier. Today, it doesn’t require years of study or hefty loans to build up your skill set to be prepared for a post-coronavirus world. There are endless free and open online courses (MOOCs) available that will help you improve your skills.

Staying Competitive during the Pandemic

The fact of the matter is that COVID-19 is changing our workplaces as well as the skills desired by many employers. Are you ready to be more marketable in a COVID-19 economy?  Upskilling and reskilling is an important part of professional development — it builds confidence and provides you the opportunity to learn, be intellectually curious, and innovate.

It's important for all of us to heed the important lessons COVID-19 has taught so far. In the end, we must be ready to adapt and learn new skills to increase our marketability. See the Lockdown as an opportunity to improve your skills so that you are ready for the post-coronavirus job market.

In Conclusion

We have outlined the most essential job skills you need to become a success in the post-COVID-19 period. Several people lost their jobs due to the pandemic, some had to work at less than 50% of their normal salary, while others were able to retain their positions at work as earlier..

However, the future of emerging jobs and the jobs of tomorrow affects everyone. It impacts both job seekers and those who have their jobs. But, improving your skill sets, as indicated in this article, will help you to find the best jobs in your industry. The new world after Coronavirus will never be precisely the same. Old ideas and approaches to the business world simply won’t cut it. If you want to put yourself in a position to acquire and keep the best job possible in your dream organization, follow the guide above. Learn and imbibe the above skills that will make you stand out from the rest and give you a leg up.

We have been forced to adopt digitalization in our everyday life. These new habits have created new business opportunities but at the cost of huge economic losses. Enterprises had to adopt new normals and smartly diverse their operations. Other industries like tourism, travel, hospitality, real estate, entertainment etc. have also been impacted. In these adverse times, the role of decision-makers to implement smart and sustainable business models is very important.

Even after the COVID crisis has passed, people will work online more than ever, which will require companies to automate processes. This calls for workforce planning down to the skills level. And because skills go out of date so quickly, companies need to start thinking of workforce planning as an ongoing process rather than something they only have to do every few years. More than ever, organizations will now rely on skills to differentiate themselves from the competition. They can no longer afford to separate learning from core business operations.

As companies take steps to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and rebuild for the new reality, learning must be part of everything they do. Learning is required in order to innovate and deliver in a world that has been catapulted by COVID-19 a full five to ten years into the digital future. Learning must be embedded in the corporate culture so that people learn how to learn and can continue to adapt. That will be essential to attracting, developing, and retaining the critical talent needed to support a company’s digital transformation. Corporate leaders who do this successfully will follow in the footsteps of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, whose successful turnaround of the technology giant was based in part on shifting from a “know-it-all” to a “learn-it-all” culture.

Now more than ever, companies are competing on how fast they can innovate and help employees pick up new skills—in particular, digital skills. But people don’t learn just by taking online classes or reading articles. And they don’t absorb new material in a day or even a week. Building knowledge requires focus, practice, coaching, and the forming of new attitudes, all of which take months. If organizations want to win at learning, they need to incorporate their skill-building efforts into the work that people do every day. And they must build skills at all levels of the enterprise—top to bottom—as an integrated part of the business and use regular business metrics to measure impact.

Workers, Employees, Executives and Managers also need to be aware of changing scenarios and adopt new skills or up skill themselves. Change is the only constant, adopting it wisely is in our hands. While we don’t portend to know the future, and our lens are limited by our own experiences and a reflection of the past, it is in times of great disruption where great opportunity abounds. It is not just across the spectrum of the industries shared above, but among others that we cannot even imagine. Our commitment is to continue to look with a sense of curiosity towards change, strive to gain an understanding and share our interpretations with the people and organizations that will strive to embrace and build the new future-beyond the Corona pandemic.