Dive Brief:
- To prepare talent for the digital disruption to come, employers must turn to reskilling and upskilling the workforce to "complement technological innovation," according to the findings in a new Randstad Sourceright study released Jan. 21.
- Most of the 800 C-suite and HR leaders in the 2020 Talent Trends Report said that businesses are preparing for the digital disruption; 45% of respondents felt that the digital transformation was advancing too quickly, compared to 60% in 2019, meaning employers feel more ready to address the change, Randstad said. But reskilling programs are not necessarily matching up. Even though an overwhelming number of HR respondents (91%) said they believe it's their organization's responsibility to reskill workers to overcome the talent shortage, 22% are training or reskilling their current workforce to address the problem.
- In other survey findings, 47% of respondents plan to increase their investment in internal mobility programs, partly in response to employees saying their ideal employer should offer such opportunities.
Dive Insight:
Learning and development has proven to be business critical in more than a few studies. A 2019 Deloitte report cited learning as its top trend, driven largely by the shortage and competition for talent. But as digitization, specifically automation, creates a greater need for "super jobs" requiring higher level skills, employers will likely turn to upskilling and reskilling to prepare their workforce for the future.
Even upskilling isn't immune to barriers, according to RAND Corporation research — a situation that employers must recognize and mitigate. Upskilling won't work for employees who lack equal access to training or whose organizations don't provide clear career paths, the research noted. In response, the RAND Corporation said that educators and trainers should form strong connections to ensure workers' proficiency.
Skills are surpassing academic credentials as essential requirements for a growing number of recruiters, a change that Andrea Backman, chief employability officer at Strategic Education Inc., confirmed in a previous interview with HR Dive. The "rules of employability" are changing because the future of work calls for different skills and competencies that aren't traditionally taught in colleges or universities, Backman said. Employers are looking for a mix of soft and hard skills, including problem-solving, productivity, digital proficiency, data analysis, confidence, drive, agility, self and social awareness and creativity.
