Skills vs. Jobs in the Future of Work

Today’s post was guest authored by MBO Chief Operating Officer Audra Nichols .

?How accurately do firms describe their work nowadays? Do jobs really define what workers do???

The answer is simple: NO.??

According to a global Deloitte survey of over 1,200 professionals, many organizations are increasingly placing “skills” instead of “jobs” at the core of how work gets done today. Today, the survey found that 63% of the current work being performed falls outside people’s core job descriptions, 81% is performed across functional boundaries, and 36% is performed by workers outside an organization. This means work is changing constantly, and the way workers succeed in their endeavors could be changing too.??

What do these mean for enterprises moving forward???

To thrive in the future of work, leaders, executives, and management teams must go back to the drawing board and reframe the way they make “people decisions.” Part of the mistakes some firms commit is that they are too transactional and only focused on working within a role. This mindset keeps them from being nimble because they are focused on “jobs” alone.??

Becoming a skills-based organization is the modern operating model of today’s workforce. This helps firms retain the right people with the right skills to stay relevant and drive profitability in the business. Additionally, decoupling work from formal job descriptions allows organizations to tap workers’ full capabilities and potentials, and improve the way they make decisions—from hiring to rewards to workforce planning, etc.??

It’s that simple. Firms won’t achieve agility if they don’t consider the contingent workforce. In a rapidly changing world of work, it is only by basing “people decisions” on skills rather than jobs that organizations can have a scalable, manageable, and equitable way of operating.??

Trending Topics:?

• The transition to the post-COVID era has led to a substantial increase in remote and hybrid working opportunities. As a result, the HR landscape is joining the bandwagon in adopting cutting-edge technologies to keep up with the changes. This article highlights some HR trends to look out for in 2023.??
• Based on the latest Yoh Survey by the Day & Zimmermann Company, some employed Americans look to showcase more value at work amid concerns of economic recession. Among these full-time workers, 30% are more likely to seek supplemental income.??
• The upcoming G-20 Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting will take place in Jodhpur, India between February 2 and 4, 2023. Among the topics to be discussed are employment opportunities for the youth, social security, breaking the barrier between skills training and higher education, and the rise of the gig economy and platform workers.??
• According to a new study from the American Psychological Association, the gig economy, though convenient and beneficial, can also lead to health problems for workers with fluctuating incomes. The study reveals pay insecurity negatively impacts gig workers’ well-being.??
• It’s impossible for humans to predict the future, but 2023 stands to be a pivotal year for the future of work. This article highlights the top 5 trends that will shape the future of work in 2023.??

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