Digital Transformation Specialists at the TOP of the list in Future Jobs Report
I would like to continue the analysis of the World Economic Forum report on The Future of Jobs 2018 (https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2018). There is plenty of great insight which calls for immediate action or at least puts at to think into our upcoming decision in light of the deep changes expected from now to 2022 in job roles, skillset and more.
In page 65 of the report there are a series of graphics that highlight the importance of taking the right decisions today, since there is no time to waste.
First and foremost, the number one job role listed in the Emerging roles that grow up to 37% by 2022 is the Digital Transformation Specialists. We have been discussing in our group (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12162786/ ) some of the skills such a Specialist and particularly a DT Leader must have. We have done so to steer the waters and get professionals to realise what it takes but also to show that with the right training and certification TODAY, you can be all setup for tomorrow’s challenges and put yourself at the top of the list.
Yet, this is not the only point to think about. Yes, it is nice to see that job role listed at the top, but if you scan the same page further and link it to the opening statements of the report, you see point number two to have in mind: what would be expected or even done by humans by 2022 and what is expected from machines. Even such basic human skill as communication may be done already up to 40% by machines. During last year (2018) we have already seen this working in an interesting way. I am not talking about Alexa, Siri and friends. Google Assistant AI (yes, the “nameless” assistant) has made good reviews and headlines such as “feels revolutionary”. Also revolutionary is the live language translations that are popping up in the market using your phone, headset or even hearing aid device, that are brining down one of the most dominant communication stoppers and cause for human kind divisions, at least since the Babel's Tower "issue".
As the report mentions: “[…] As technological breakthroughs rapidly shift the frontier between the work tasks performed by humans and those performed by machines and algorithms, global labour markets are undergoing major transformations. These transformations, if managed wisely, could lead to a new age of good work, good jobs and improved quality of life for all, but if managed poorly, pose the risk of widening skills gaps, greater inequality and broader polarization[…]".
Therefore it is a MUST that you improve your communication skills (verbal and non verbal) before is too late. Nevertheless, no need to panic, critical thinking, decision making and reasoning seems to be staying in the same % as today :)
How urgent you may see the need to upskill or reskill yourself and/or your teams? This is the third graph on the page. Participants said that 50% of the workforce does not need reskilling, while over 30% should be reskilling in the next 6 months. If we acknowledge that the first batch (50%) is a bit optimistic and that some sort of reskilling may be needed once a gap analysis is performed on the specific services to be delivered in a digital transformation project, we have well over 50% of the workforce that needs reskilling and 32% of this must happen within the next 6 months.
As a conclusion, Digital Transformation Leaders must start acting now. There is a need to get ready today for the the expected changes in job roles, soft skills and human-machine interaction. Doing so in the short term seems to be a game changer and increases the possibilities of success in years to come. Another benefit that we should not overlook is the fact that having and upgraded skills set today allows us to be more useful to our organizations already aiding them in the difficult paths within digital transformation.