Each month, Mercer brings together in-house experts and external thought leaders, subject matter experts and influencers for an online discussion of the most pressing issues in the future of work and health. The program is called #MercerChats and takes place entirely on Twitter, where individuals around the world engage with Mercer’s intellectual capital and other leading thought leadership to share insights and discuss the best solutions to help organizations thrive. Below is a summary of our December 2019 tweet chat, highlighting some of the key themes discussed and the best insights shared.
Put away your crystal ball, your tarot cards, and your Ouija board. We don’t need a fortune teller to know what’s coming in the future of work, because we’re already here. From gig workers to automation, we’re living through the fourth industrial revolution, and the only question is whether you and your organization are coming along.
In these revolutionary times, we’re all forced to consider how and where we fit in. As individuals, the modern talent market can seem unrecognizable, with new jobs and in-demand skills that didn’t exist when we received our formal education. As organizations, the near-constant disruption invites questions about who can compete in the modern landscape and how companies can keep up with the pace of change.
These questions dominate conversations about the future of work, with senior leaders looking for new insights and paths toward the future of work. That’s why we hosted our own global conversation, with thought leaders and industry experts from around the world weighing in on the keys to staying relevant in the modern economy. Here are some of the key takeaways from that conversation, which I hope can help you as you kick off the New Year.
New Day, New Skills
For all the talk of tech and automation, we may still be underappreciating how different the workforce of the future may look. Consider that many of today’s jobs didn’t exist five years ago, then project what five years from now will look like with the accelerating pace of change. While we may not be living and working in an automated Jetsons-esque world, it’s undeniable that every one of us will need new skills and competencies to remain relevant tomorrow.
The good news is that today’s HR and business leadership recognizes this challenge, and they’re committed to upskilling and redeploying current talent in a way that works for the future. Whether it’s introducing new education programs, placing greater emphasis on workforce analytics to identify weak points, or mining new talent pools, leaders are exploring all avenues to be prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.
A2. #BigData analysis, project planning and specific subject matter expertise will be important skills in the #futureofwork. Identify employees who can be upskilled and recruit for missing roles. #WEF20 #MercerChats
— Meghan M. Biro ⚡️ (@MeghanMBiro) 17 de diciembre de 2019
A1: Skills Shortage Could Put US$454 Billion of GDP at Risk by 2028@TamaraMcCleary @KateBravery @wswmuc @slupusho @isilket @lorialmeida @MeghanMBiro @jimmarous @NatDewhurst @Trsocialselling @guzmand #futureofwork #MercerChats pic.twitter.com/IPQxhllvHq
— Jim Marous (@JimMarous) 17 de diciembre de 2019
Leaders should help ensure education and training programs in place for their employees to show they care about their people and are innovating to move the business forward. #MercerChats
— Gage Grammer🖤 (@GageGrammer) 17 de diciembre de 2019
A2) The top skills of the future include things such as programming and analytics, but reasoning and creativity are also very important. #Automation systems don't always put out the right data and how does one use the data creatively? #MercerChats #WEF20 pic.twitter.com/Zsxrl4nmS6
— Tamara McCleary (@TamaraMcCleary) 17 de diciembre de 2019
People Skills Aren’t Going Anywhere
Creating a new-look workforce doesn’t mean recruiting an army of engineers and data scientists. Though these are critical new roles to competing in the new economy, there’s also a growing need for the softer human skills that supplement and counterbalance hard tech. This is because as tech proliferates and becomes a core component of every organization, it’s the human skills that become a real differentiator.
A02: #MercerChats #WEF20 #FutureOfWork@WEF's "Future of Jobs Report" 2018 reveald top 10 job skills required for workers to thrive by 2020 - interestingly the power-#skills are mostly non technical, but interpersonal ones. 2> https://t.co/0YoutozlBj
— Wilko S. Wolters 🇩🇪🇪🇺 (@WSWMUC) 17 de diciembre de 2019
A3C. 3. People skills such as the ability to work with others, empathize, communicate, collaborate will become more important as technology supplements some of the technical components of jobs. #MercerChats
— Stela Lupushor (@slupusho) 17 de diciembre de 2019
A1 #mercerchats with AI some tasks will no longer need a human to complete them, it also means that there are innately human traits and skills that AI cannot replicate.
— lori almeida (@lorialmeida) 17 de diciembre de 2019
As Your Workforce Evolves, Evolve with It
A changing economy necessitates a changing workforce, but it also means changing organizations. As you build new talent streams and new support structures to attract, recruit and train them, it’s critical that you understand how your broader organization is growing and, more importantly, how it can evolve to accommodate your new workforce.
This puts HR into some of the most strategic conversations as organizations plan their own digital transformation. From the introduction of talent programs like flex working to the redefinition of company culture, every component of your organization must be calibrated for your new-look workforce.
A1. Keeping up with the market and identifying the needed skills for their employees is the key to prepare for this revolutionary times https://t.co/vkylUM8h4Y #MercerChats #futureofwork #skillsgap
— Isil Cayirli Ketenci (@isilket) 17 de diciembre de 2019
In sales the skills needed are to learn all the wonderful new insights that AI can bring such as social listening. While it will disrupt sales greatly it will also bring many opportunities #timhughes #alexlow #rickrea #MercerChats
— Thomas Ross | Social Selling Sales Expert Trainer (@TRsocialselling) 17 de diciembre de 2019
A4. We know that time-poor employees find it hard to reskill. Companies need to “budget” time for learning in the same way we allocate resources for other business critical activities. #Reskilling is a cultural agenda, not a learning one. #MercerChats https://t.co/a7eMj8DVtp
— Kate Bravery (@KateBravery) 17 de diciembre de 2019
A5) Better Tech & infrastructure allows more remote working! #allrolescanflex #MercerChats it's great to see more companies taking FULL advantage! I’ve been working on a project where we have done just this! Utilized #contractworkers to help us achieve #success
— Natalie Dewhurst 👸🏻🇿🇦 (@NatDewhurst) 17 de diciembre de 2019
Conclusion
There’s no stopping the future of work, but we can all prepare for it. Whether as individuals looking to update our own skill sets or as organizations preparing for the client needs of tomorrow, there are simple lessons we can all learn to ensure we stay relevant in the new economy: