Future talent: How relevant are you to the future demand for talent?
The world is changing; how relevant are you to the future demand for talent?
What can a computer do? You might be wondering, now that you’ve been hearing more and more about cutting-edge technologies that are nowadays replacing many of the day-to-day tasks, we humans used to do. But why not ask yourself: what can a human do, that a computer cannot do? It is on this basis, that you’ll be able to better see the relevance and coexistence of our abilities to/with what computers can or cannot do.
In basic terms, computers rely on logic, because that’s what their programming is based on. While humans’ basis goes way beyond just that. In fact, behavioral economics studies have high emphasis on how strongly humans base their decisions on emotions and other psychological attributes, away from the assumed perfect logic, which computers rely on. On the bright side however, what can fulfill the ever-changing emotional needs of customers, other than us humans? I bet computers can’t; but there’s more to it than just that.
Acquiring the right skill-set while capitalizing on technology
Critical thinking, creativity and people/emotional intelligence are in a nutshell pretty much what the future workforce demand is looking for. Why? Because, simply, these skills are the most difficult (if not impossible) to program computers for. Now a days, many processing and admin-related tasks are completely computerized; because these tasks follow fairly simpler logic to program (think about Siri or Alexa for example, brilliant applications). So, if you think about it, we just need to know how to leverage technology to the fullest, rather than be threatened or replaced by it, but of course it is not that simple.
As many repetitive tasks are being done by computers, humans are left with tasks that require more contextual thinking and decision making. The potential of technology is huge but it can only go so far before humans can decide what to make of it. What’s the use of a smartphone, if we don’t know how to use it?
Maintaining a continuous-learning mindset
Learning about certain practices and specializing to do them forever, might no longer work. The world is more dynamic than ever, we are facing dramatically changing problems to solve every day, and this brings up the importance of having a continuous learning mindset. It is not as much about accumulating knowledge but instead, being able to quickly acquire knowledge.
The world has become so dynamic that the shelf-life of certain practices and knowledge areas don’t last very long before they are replaced by newer ones. Because industrial revolutions (like the fourth industrial revolution, and soon the fifth one) are continuously changing practices and we continuously have to adapt to them. Yet, we might not be able to acquire knowledge faster in order to keep up and stay up-to-date (stay relevant); and this brings up the importance of effective learning, and being able to navigate through so much information and sort out what’s most useful from what’s not, or basically learning how to learn, rapidly.
Information is no longer an issue, prioritization of information is. This is where continual learning doesn’t only have to be in place, but also has to be optimized. What should you learn or how deep should you dive into it? This might remind you of the large number of books you have on your wish-list, podcasts you’re subscribed to but can’t keep up with to listen to or YouTube videos you wish to watch next.
Being independent, regardless of your occupation
According to the World Economic Forum, between a half and two-thirds of companies surveyed are likely to hire external contractors, temporary staff and freelancers. In the United States, the percentage of freelancers has largely increased over generations, from 29% for Baby Boomers (55+ years old) to 53% for Gen Z (18-22 years old), according to Upwork. What does this mean for you?
Project-based employment contracts are becoming more common now. While you may not be considering a more independent or freelance role, you might want to be ready for one. Having such mindset will help you maintain a sharper sight of what the market demands and develop a better understanding of how you can provide something of value to it, continuously. With increasingly more companies implementing flexible working hours, an outcome-based compensation (value for money) can be more rational for such companies on one angle. Hence, wouldn’t this make one a freelancer anyway?
These were some of my thoughts around the future of talent; what are yours?
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