The rise of human skills in a world of automation

Many people say that the children of today will have jobs that don't exist yet. Technology is changing so fast that we might struggle to keep up with the skills we need in the future. How can we prepare ourselves for a world of work that is constantly evolving?

AI is likely to take over many tasks and roles in the next few years. How can we make sure that we are investing in the right areas?

In every industrial revolution, some traditional roles have disappeared and new ones have emerged. Workers have had to adapt and learn new skills to find jobs in growing sectors. The challenge has not been a lack of work, but the gap between the old and the new skills.

In the current revolution, the pace of change is faster than ever, and it is unclear whether AI will create more jobs than it will replace. Will automation make work more scarce or more abundant?

What is clear, is that those who want to succeed must be flexible and willing to learn. Specific technical skills can become obsolete in a short time. For example, C++ developers who trained only a few years ago now face less demand for their skills than Python developers. No one can any longer rely on one skill to sustain a whole career.

As more tasks become automated, employers are starting to value human skills more. These are the soft skills that machines cannot easily replicate, such as critical thinking, leadership, communication, collaboration, and self-motivation.

But how do we learn these skills? No university offers a degree in self-motivation, nor do we get formal qualifications for these skills.

Formal education does teach these soft, transferable skills - which is why it often doesn't matter what subject a degree is in, as long as it shows that the person can think critically, work hard, etc. Whether it is sports science, psychology, or astrophysics, a degree demonstrates some human skills. But we are not good at measuring these skills. They are valuable but intangible.

Organisations need to invest in lifelong learning for their employees. This means not only offering formal courses but also coaching and mentoring on the job. They need to provide constant feedback and guidance and create a supportive and nurturing culture.

Employees themselves must be flexible, tech-savvy, and self-driven to develop new skills. They must take responsibility for their own growth and make sure they are always learning and improving. If they don't want to become obsolete, they need to stay relevant in the future workplace.