What skills will you need for the future?

The widely?cited WEF report points that about 50% of today's skills will drastically shift by 2025. Do you know?which?half it?is within your company???

The future of work is here?

While?we're?still far from total robotization, some aspects are already infiltrating many job roles and industries. This infiltration might lead to new job requirements, new skills, and a new approach?to how we perform our jobs.??

Companies that embrace?new technologies?and digitalize their mindset will be the ones to experience?a massive?boom in growth and productivity. To shape the future-oriented mindset, companies and business leaders need to consider these three:?

1. Keep up with the change instead of holding on to what's been gone?

Back to the beginning,?50% of today's skills might 'expire'?by 2025. Of course, that will affect workforce reduction, and?that's the tough part. However, instead of trying to save those jobs, companies need to think about?protecting?their employees—by upskilling and reskilling them.?

2. Androids don't dream of replacing us?

When I think about upskilling in the context of digitalization and automation, I think about not?beating?machines.?Instead,?I see it as an aspiration to?obtain skills that machines will never get—for instance, human creativity, inventing new things, or developing new products.?After all, we?go for automation, digitalization, and AI-zation to optimize redundant, physically hard, and manual work and release more time and resources for creativity, inventing, and improving.?

Here are?the?most in-demand?future?skills?people will need to obtain and master?to?stay?relevant in?upcoming years:?

3.?Measure the actual value of digitalization?

We used to measure the positive impacts of innovation in euros or dollars. However, when it comes to embracing digital solutions,?it's?quite hard to measure their impact in financial profit alone. Hence, I suggest?taking?a broader perspective on the value that digitalization brings to?the?companies?and?measuring?it in:?

• reduced?time employees used to spend on manual and operating tasks?
• optimized costs allocated on upskilling internal talents instead of hiring new people from?the?external market?
• built skills taxonomy within the company?

Technology has changed the way we work, and this?change is driving us full?speed ahead. With these aspects in mind, companies can embrace a future-oriented mindset as well as put their employees'?development and technology adoption in focus — to catch up with the pace of change.

Here's?a sample of insights, content, and collaboration my team and I?have?been working on lately, and I hope?it?will help you keep up with the pace of change as well:?

• Blog post:?How?do?new technologies?change the future of work in different domains??It’s?an overview of skills and jobs that will face automation, will be in high demand,?or might?go?extinct in the following industries: retail, mining & metals, pharma & chemical, automotive, oil & gas, and construction.?Read here??
• Research: Together with?Caroline Styr?(myHRfuture) and?Julius B?hr?(HRForecast), we explored the application of talent market analytics to HR?and?revealed?insights into the future of HR,?essential?skills, key trends, and the way the pandemic has?impacted the requirements for HR professionals.?Get your copy here?
• Podcast: We sat together with?Dr. Benjamin?Jetter?(KPMG) to talk about?how companies can make better HR and business decisions using the powers of Big Data and intelligent tools and what's the role of digitalization in shaping future-oriented skills.?Listen here?
• Panel discussion:?Last week, I joined?prominent Singapore-based HR experts on the?webinar?hosted by?hrtech.sg,?IHRP?&?SHRM.?We took an overview of global and Singapore insights and trends on future HR skills and roles and?ways?technologies?affect them.?Check out the takeaways

What's next?

• Insights222.?Just recently, I?participated?in a 30-min?webinar?hosted by Insights 222?and?talked?about how companies can elevate talent mobility, upskilling, succession management, workforce planning, future skills prediction—and more challenges—by embracing the talent marketplace powers.??

→ Follow?Insight222?for updates.?

• Spotlight. I also was a guest of the interview hosted by Ekta?Capoor?(Amazing Workplaces). We had an insightful conversation about people analytics and its role in employee engagement. The interview will be released in November. In a meanwhile,?check out?this guide?to learn more about which?HR challenges?can be addressed with?people analytics?powers.?

→ Follow?Amazing Workplaces?

• Digital Transformer Club?, powered by?HRpepper. In-person event—eventually! At this meetup, we'll deep-dive into people analytics, its effects on operational HR work, and practical examples of how people analytics helps companies benefit from data. If you're in Berlin on?November?4, let's meet! Seats are limited, so?make sure you save yours.?

→ Follow?HRpepper?

Future-proofed is a monthly dose of insights on people analytics, future of work, and data-driven HR to help smart HR leaders stay ahead of the curve. Stay tuned, so you can skip straight to get your organization?future-proofed.?

→?Follow me on LinkedIn, where I'll keep posting smart HR insights