Workplace 4.0 – Your employees will need these skills now

It is no question that the workplace and situation will change due to the digital innovations like the digital process automation or AI. Many of today’s employees’ core competencies won’t be needed anymore tomorrow. A new study by the McKinsey Global Institute shows which skills will be needed in the future to keep up with the job market.

With the digitalization comes change and especially for the employees of businesses. Consequently, the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) gathered in its new study “Skill Shift – Automation and the future of the workforce”, which skills businesses will demand from their employees until 2030. The reason for the extreme change on the job market are especially owed to the digitalization’s innovations, like automation or the employment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workforce.

Many branches affected

In the study carried out by MGI different businesses from various branches were questioned, among those companies from the financial sector, insurance, energy, health, manufacturing and trade from many western countries, such as Germany, the USA, France, Spain, Italy and the UK.

According to the study the amount of work hours which require technical knowledge, will rise about 55 percent until 2030, whereas the basic skills of employees, like data input and motoric abilities, won’t be needed as much anymore. The need for social and emotional expertise will rise as well.

Less need for physical and manual skills

In Germany, the need for physical and manual skills is to decrease, according to the study. The work time in this area is to decrease by 22 percent, because there will be less demand for physical power and manual handling of machines in the future. Everything will be automatized.

Yet, compared to other countries, Germany is one of the pioneers at technological skills. 14 percent of the German work time already are allotted to the technological expertise like IT and programming, whereas it is only 11 percent in the USA. The MGI expects an increase of 19 percent of the technological work time until 2030.

Leadership skills still important

Even in progress of the digitalization the communication- and leadership-skills as well as empathy do not lose their importance. Yet, there is a shortage of skilled employees in that area already, which won’t be improved by automation and AI in the future. The human factor is not replaceable in social interaction, which is why employees should concentrate on these skills in particular.

Take a breath and get started

Generally, the MGI highlights that businesses should prepare their employees for the future. To neglect the development in the workplace will have negative consequences for businesses’ financial balance. Consequently, businesses should think about how to train their employees for the future in the fastest way.

This article is based on an article by cio.

Source title image: iStock/ akindo