The Future of Work: Death of the Single Skill Set In The Age Of Automation
The future of work is here today, and the nature of both manufacturing and knowledge jobs will never be the same. According to a McKinsey analysis of 2,000 different work activities across 800 occupations, automation will change virtually every job across all occupations. Specifically, McKinsey found that in about 60% of occupations, 30% of tasks could be handed over to robots and bots. “More occupations will change,” the report concludes, “than will be automated away.”
Other sources have predicted that automation of professional knowledge economy jobs in the United States will be more than 10 times as large as the number of manufacturing jobs automated to date.
Needed Discussion: What Are New Skills In Key Job Roles
Much of the current debate on automation focuses on mass unemployment and rendering entire occupations susceptible to displacement. Instead, we need to focus on what new skills are needed by key job roles and then develop a plan of action to upskill individual employees and teams. Leaders must prepare for the future of work rather than just train for today’s jobs.
So how does one prepare for this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world of work? I believe by understanding a simple fact: across many jobs there is a “death of a single skill set,” and what has made you employable today will not be enough to ensure you are employable tomorrow.
The Death of the Single Skill Set
This death of the single skill set has been documented by David Deming, associate professor of education and economics at Harvard University. Dr. Deming argues that many jobs requiring only mathematical skills have been automated, but roles which combine mathematical and interpersonal skills (such as economists, health technicians, and management analysts) will be in demand. These findings are reinforced by a study conducted by Business Higher Education Forum and Gallup that examined the percent of employers who say both data science and analytical skills will be required of all managers by 2020. As noted in the chart below, this is predicted to be true for managers who span the functions of finance, marketing, operations, supply chain and Human Resources.
This notion of developing cross functional skills is not new, in fact the notion of “T” shaped skills was first described in 1991. “T” shaped individuals combine both a depth and breadth of skills possessing deep functional expertise with well-honed social skills to collaborate across disciplines. Now, with automation impacting up to 60% of occupations, it is becoming more important than ever for individuals to demonstrate these “T” shaped skills combining uniquely “human” skills (executive presence, empathy, and communication) with technical ones.
Let’s look at three roles: data scientist, recruiter, and business leader to see the growing importance of “T” shaped skills.
One recent example of this need to develop “T” shaped skills is the newly designed MOOC developed in partnership between PwC and Coursera entitled Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: The PwC Approach. As Michael Fenlon, Chief People Officer of PwC, says, “PwC’s collaboration with Coursera is about more than creating a new course; it’s about helping people become more confident as they face the future.” Their five course MOOC specialization focuses on both understanding and applying data analytics tools as well as crafting business presentations identifying insights uncovered in the data analysis.
What’s interesting is that this MOOC is being offered to both PwC and non PwC learners. To date, over 14,000 PwC learners across 192 countries have enrolled in this MOOC, and another 71,481 non-PwC learners enrolled who are interested in enhancing their skills. The non PWC learners create an immediate talent pool of prospective employees who have mastered an important skill set in data science and presentation.
