Future Skills - Digital Competence And Learnability

Emerging technology augmented workplaces have altered employee skill requirements. Job ontologies are also evolving and outdated format of CVs with static job descriptions have lost their relevance – HR teams are moving to dynamic job application builders to ask ‘relevant’ questions, specific to their work models, job roles, and organization culture. Talent managers in forward-leaning organizations, are seeking candidates who not only possess broad profiles that meet their job description, but in addition also have specific areas of competency demanded in their unique workplace environment. LinkedIn teams constantly study latest skills in demand by analyzing real-world job specifications posted everyday by HR/TA teams.

Future workplaces would be augmented with ubiquitous digital tools and AI. In this environment, the higher-order skill sets of employees like problem-solving, critical thinking, and people skills will become vital. Employees are being expected to learn and adapt to the infusion of new digital technologies which the organization is introducing as part of their digital transformation program. And, this has made the employee’s ability to learn a crucial , perhaps the most important, work skill.

Skill, Re-skill and Up-skill

As per the World Economic Forum predictions, the average time in any single job is 4.2 years. As per the WEF report and a survey by McKinsey, the next five years will see about 50% of employees’ existing skills being rendered outdated and irrelevant in the workplace. At least 1 in 4 workers in OECD countries is already reporting a skills mismatch with regards to the skills demanded by their current jobs. Education no longer prepares students for a flexible world; in which skills you major in will be outdated by the time you finish a four-year degree. Scary, isn’t it.

For the HR teams it means constant skilling and up-skilling - the Future of Jobs Report, 2018 states that 25% of the companies do not intend to conduct trainings for their employees; and 66% companies expect them to learn on their own. Ability to learn will be the ‘savior skill’ for employees in this dynamic world.

Stay Relevant Stay Employed

Jobs are undergoing a transformation – all of us, from Gen Zers to Baby Boomers, are facing unpredictable challenges in the workplace. Staying always relevant with the right skill sets has become imperative – employees should proactively steer their ongoing skill development. Today your “ability to learn” is one of the most important dimensions of a job.

HR teams should be able to calibrate their ‘job descriptions’ to adapt to ever evolving skill requirements and employees should have the ability to learn new skills to remain relevant for the organization.

EasyTalent enables progressive HR professionals to assess candidate’s digital competency and ‘ability to learn’ while hiring. Digital Competency test assesses the ability of the employees to navigate and conduct their day-to-day work in digital businesses, the ‘Ability to Learn’ test predicts their eagerness (curiosity) to adapt to the volatile business environment. Collectively, candidate’s DCAL score (Digital Competency and ‘Ability to Learn’) is a good indicator of employees’ future capability.

Curiosity did not Kill the Cat!

Curious people will seek, explore, and immerse themselves in situations which demands new information or experiences. They are self-motivated employees who proactively upgrade or adapt themselves in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, and complex work environment.

Psychologists believe that curiosity quotient is a reliable indicator of employees’ ‘ability to learn’ and respond to organizational changes. Individuals with high CQ are potentially valuable for the rapid learning – they are more intrigued than frustrated when trying to understand and appreciate new technologies, and flexible to adapt to new strategies and unfamiliar cultures in the hyper-connected global markets.

EasyTalent enables HR teams to evaluate the digital competency and learning ability of employees and organization as a whole. ‘Ability to Learn’ test is one of the most critical skill for any job. Employees who can ‘reskill themselves’ will always remain relevant and adapt quickly to the evolving job roles.