The world of work is in a constant state of constant change and with the current realities, the changes are even faster and sharper.
The skills needed to be successful in today’s workforce is different from those of the past. Even a past that is as early as five years ago. Don’t be surprised that future occupations will also require completely new skills, some of which we don’t yet have names for.
The World Economic Forum predicts that there will be the need to reskill more than one billion people by year 2030, as jobs are transformed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This upskilling will apply to current jobs as well as those yet to come into being.
While there are arguments that this will come with positive and negative effects, those looking to improve their future employability would do well to identify and acquire the most desirable skills in the workplaces of the future as skills gaps will emerge which will create high demand for qualified workers.
Ibiene curates Below a list of what employers think these future skills might be. The jobs of the future will require a mixture of hard and soft skills which you will find below;
1- Data Skills:
Predictions indicate that data and AI will be one of the key drivers of future growth in the near future.
With everything online, data is being harvested at a never-have-been-seen -before-seen scale and used for everything from improving industrial processes to keeping shelves stacked to accurately targeting digital ads. Data is the language which will allow for the connectivity at the heart of the fourth industrial revolution. Those who are able to organise data collection, interpret the results, and make decisions based on these findings will be in high demand. This will be important across all professions as even farmers, marketers, and doctors among others will need to use data to make the best decisions for their businesses.
2-Artificial Intelligence:
Don’t let the language fool you. Artificial intelligence simply means using innovative means (not involving human labour at all) to deal with repetitive tasks faster and with a greater degree of precision than any human ever could. Since intelligence is involved, it will help in mapping out trends to predict what will happen in the future, and creating highly-personalised user experience. Can you beat that?
Rapid advances in AI and machine learning are one of the key drivers of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and will change the way that we work. Employers would need faster output because of the sophisticated taste of consumers. This is when and where those with the AI skills to develop and implement artificial intelligence systems will be in high demand as organisations will be looking to revolutionise and streamline the way they work and live.
3- Sales and Marketing:
Looks like the old rugged sales and marketing isn’t going anywhere. With all the automation going on, humans are still needed to sell these products to consumers. These skills will be essential in the workplaces of the future, especially with digital marketing at work. Marketing has been revolutionised by technology, offering new platforms such as social media, affiliate marketing, and digital content. The proliferation and democratisation of these platforms increases the stakes, requiring marketers to up their game to stay competitive.
No matter how advanced the tools become, marketers will be needed to make decisions and steer campaigns while salespeople will be needed to close deals with other human beings. The responsibility of bringing revenue, directly or indirectly to the organisation continues to fall to these job functions.
4- Health and Nursing:
The global pandemic has shown that there is and will continue to be a greater demand for healthcare and nursing skills in the employment market of the future. While nursing is where we see the most pressing demand, nations are facing shortages for nearly every kind of healthcare profession. No doubt as people are beginning to take their health more seriously, increasingly aeging population and an effort to prepare for the next health crises, healthcare professionals have become high in demand.
5- Emotional Intelligence:
Emotional intelligence is a must have skill in current and future jobs market. This is a skill that comes with personal benefits. It is one of the most reliable predictors of career success and salary levels.
Those in possession of emotional intelligence show humility in giving and receiving feedback, are reliable and committed to helping others, and willing to apologise and to forgive when necessary. In this age where businesses are done across cultural and generational boundaries, having emotional intelligence has become a highly demanded skill.
6- Creativity:
Creativity as a key skill for the future does not apply only to ‘creative’ professions, but is relevant across industries and functions. The quality of creativity is one that has increased in importance in all types of professions in recent years- in management and leadership, science and engineering among others. Everyone can testify of the powerful influence of creativity in the world of tech entrepreneurship, where it is a case of how to deploy technology rather than the technology itself. Fast cars have to look attractive to the buyer, a robot has to look attractive enough for a human to approach and interact with it. Creativity helps bring the innovative idea into reality. Anyone who can do this will be in high demand.
7- Translation:
With more companies creating localised content for global markets, there is an increasing number of work opportunities for translators. To become a successful translator, you will need to be fluent in both the language you’re translating from and to. You must also be conversant with the cultural differences between the country or countries in which the source language and the target languages are spoken. This is and will continue to be a high-in-demad skill for the future.
There’s no need to worry much about how to acquire these skills no matter how old or young you are. Learning no longer has to be within the four walls of a school. Go online, pick a course that is available on line with your future aspiration, ensuring that it ties to one of the jobs that will become highly sought after. Strategically equipping yourself for the future would mean you won’t be a part of the statistics that lost their jobs to innovation.
Employers too should begin to upskill their employees so they don’t get swept away with the tide of innovation.
Did we miss any high-in-demand job of the future? Do share with us in the comment section.