Future Work Skills 2020

Richard
Insight & Opinion

So what skills do you think the average job seeker will need in 2020? Well, a Californian based quango, the Institute for the Future (IFTF), recently released a report entitled Future Work Skills 2020. Take a look at their predictions…

Analysing key drivers that are predicted to reshape the work landscape over the next 10 years, the IFTF report aims to not necessarily look at what jobs will be around in the future but to take a look at what skills, proficiencies and abilities will be required across different jobs and work settings.

Global connectivity, smart machines, and new media are just some of the drivers reshaping how we think about work, what constitutes work, and the skills we will need to be productive contributors in the future.

Six Drivers of Change.
  • Extreme Longevity: Lifespans change the nature of careers and learning.
  • The Rise of Smart Machines and Systems: Workplace automation nudges human workers out of repetitive tasks.
  • Computational World: Massive increases in sensors and processing power makes the world a programmable system.
  • New Media Ecology: New communication tools require new media literacy’s beyond text.
  • Superstructured Organisations: Social technologies drive new forms of production and value creation.
  • Globally Connected World: Increased global interconnectivity puts diversity and adaptability at the centre of organisational operations.
Ten Skills for the Future Workforce.
  • Sense-Making: As machine automation takes hold, the ability to make intelligent interpretations and provide true insight will be in demand.
  • Social Intelligence: To be able to connect with others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired interactions.
  • Novel & Adaptive Thinking: The ability to problem solve, think outside the box and come up with tailored solutions.
  • Cross-Cultural Competency: In a globally connected world, the ability to operate in different cultural settings will help candidates stand out.
  • Computational Thinking: Good analytical skills will help to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and will come in handy for data-based reasoning.
  • New Media Literacy: Everyday life will be a buzz with varying new media types and platforms. The ability to make connections and engage audiences across vast, differing networks will be paramount.
  • Transdisciplinarity: The need to understand multifaceted problems and relay them to the wider community to solve will mean complex problems require the facilitation of large scale collaboration.
  • Design Mindset: As future workspaces and environments become individually tailored there will be a need to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired personable outcomes.
  • Cognitive Load Management: With a world rich in information being able to use data tools and techniques to disseminate and filter for importance will help gain true insight
  • Virtual Collaboration: The need to communicate with and lead remote teams will create a new management style, not necessarily difficult to learn, however team work may need to be re-learned here.