Future of work bright; how do we get ready?
Firms proving to have true social conscience are important to people when looking for new role
Connecting talent with opportunity is at the heart of what we do every day. I am glad to observe that in the Mena region talent is now a priority not only for recruitment leaders, but for every C-level executive.
Indeed, we increasingly hear stories about talent acquisition teams joining executive committees to ensure business strategy is aligned with the workplace and the people of a company. As we prepare for such changes, let’s take a look of what the future of workplace and future of jobs holds for us all.
Technology and humans complement each other: What is the future of work going to look like? Will work and employment exist as we know them? Most of the conversations that are taking place now focus on what technology could do, and not around the choices we will have about how we will use it. People are confident that technology will complement human interaction rather than replacing it.
Priorities include trust and flexibility: When it comes to the future of the workplace, people are prioritising companies that have earned their trust. Companies that have proved themselves to have a true social conscience are important to people when looking for a new role. Job security and long-term service and flexibility are high on people’s priorities which we expect to see increasingly more of in workplaces of the future.
Flexibility is a buzzword and has been for a few years. We’re already seeing it happen now but, in the future, it will be more evident that the 20th century career-for-life will start to disappear. There’s been much talk about the growth of the ‘gig’ economy where employers will put teams together for specific projects matching skill sets with the challenges presented by the role.
Skills: An in-depth analysis has revealed key supply and demand issues in the GCC’s digital job market, stressing the need for GCC countries to invest in digitisation and building of an adaptable and skilled digital workforce. According to the report entitled Empowering the GCC digital workforce: Building adaptable skills in the digital era, Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and digital skills are lacking.
More people need to be skilled in these areas to fill jobs of the future. Although there is a regional trend towards more technical skills, these remain scarce for emerging technologies such as big data and analytics. Limited academic preparation for digital skills and inadequate professional development environment are some of the challenges the GCC workforce will face more and more companies move towards the digital age.
Gender and diversity: Again, these are already key topics that businesses and governments alike are trying to address in the workplace by putting quotas in place and setting targets. In the future, it’s predicted that machine will power “intelligent inclusion”, reducing bias that is found in humans. Data-driven decisions based on technology will drive recruiters and will help to find the candidates most qualified for the job. It’s been proven again and again that diversity adds a valuable dimension to the workplace and has a positive impact on business results. Research, conducted by YouGov in partnership, that focused on attitudes towards hiring women in Saudi Arabia, revealed that more than half (52 per cent) of employers believe that gender equality leads to higher productivity while 40 per cent believe the key benefit of hiring men and women equally is that it advances a creative culture, providing further evidence of the benefits of diversity.
The next wave of jobs: According to the same recent report, the next wave of digital jobs will be shaped by the “Essential Eight” technologies: blockchain, 3D printing, drones, virtual reality, augmented reality, the Internet of Things, robotics and artificial intelligence. We see the trend of digitisation is transforming business models across different sectors. Emerging technologies are now changing the pre-established definition of jobs, putting the spotlight on “digital jobs”.
According to the most recent skills report where LinkedIn revealed the top skills to watch out for, statistical analysis and data mining; public policy and international relations; and algorithm design topped the list. We expect these skills to remain in demand this year. Digitisation is changing how companies approach hiring and look at jobs. Skills pertaining to Stem and information, communication and technology in digitalrelated industries will also be in demand this year.
How can companies/governments prepare for what’s to come? The recipe seems to be
clear — digital transformation: As new technology and new jobs are created, skills will become the essential capital for the 21st century global economy — more importantly digital jobs and skills. This will be a priority for governments to achieve their ambitious national plans, GCC countries will have to take leaps of efficiencies that are mainly enabled through digitization. To do so, they will need to build an adaptable and skilled digital workforce, said the report.
Digital jobs are more adaptable in the face of technological disruption and can support a more flexible working culture hence allowing for self-employment and remote work — a model that encourages greater participation by women and the inactive youth. To create a skilled workforce, GCC countries will need to focus their efforts on building digital capabilities within academia by emphasising a Stem approach in schools.
Creating a digital workforce of continuous learners will be key to drive the success of national transformation plans. I wonder where such positive transformation can take us in the future.