Technology has become a constant element in people’s lives, benefiting enterprises and workers. But despite some people’s fears, technology is not here to replace humans. The vision and hope for technology are evolving as more people recognize its incredible potential and embrace it for the possibility of what it can contribute to society.
Let’s consider that 25 years ago, people were using the Internet, but smartphones were in their infancy. iPhones didn’t even hit the market until 2007. More than two decades ago, people saw technology as a tool working its “magic” in the background, improving efficiency and productivity.
Fast-forward to today. Hardware, software and technology services are ubiquitous — embedded in all our lives. These developments, plus the explosion of connectivity, have brought technology even closer. We’re on the cusp of realizing that this technology should be used to augment our life experiences.
Employees overwhelmingly agree: According to recent McKinsey research, most workers (88 percent) using generative AI in their jobs have nontechnical roles. They represent customer care workers, healthcare workers, educators, and salespeople, to name a few industries.
This tech evolution is also changing fundamentally what (and how) we need to learn. If we use these available tools correctly, following some of the meta trends in a positive direction, we’ll be massively empowered to find what we love and become great at it, which is, after all, the point.
So, how does all this growth and evolution relate to the business world? Organizations are shifting their mindsets on productivity from tools to people. The Holy Grail of productivity lies in understanding the human side of the equation. Companies opting to focus myopically on tools and technology alone will fall to companies recognizing the value of upskilling their people.
Automation trends
Plenty of previous commentary has focused on how automation threatens jobs and employment, but newer data points to a more optimistic view of automation trends. But before we examine this more promising perspective, let’s consider where automation has shown:
- Automating manual, repetitive tasks has increased efficiency and productivity.
- Automated systems have helped ensure that processes are performed consistently according to predefined specifications, improving quality by reducing human error and variability.
- Automation has freed people’s time, allowing them to focus on more creative, meaningful work that is difficult to automate but necessary to innovate.
The dawning realization? Automating repetitive, mundane tasks machines can easily do clarifies the tasks machines cannot do and reveals uniquely human skills needing cultivation and reinforcement.
For example, consider the impact of emerging generative AI technologies on a job like a medical secretary. These often-repetitive, manual tasks currently absorb as much as half of a medical secretary’s weekly work:
- Answering telephones and directing calls to the appropriate staff
- Scheduling and confirming patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations
- Greeting visitors, ascertaining the purpose of their visit,t and directing them to the appropriate staff
- Completing insurance or other claim forms
- Operating office equipment and using software applications to prepare reports, invoices, financial statements, letters, case histories, or medical records
Pearson research has found that generative AI could free up nearly three-quarters of that time by 2032 so that medical secretaries can focus on higher-impact work.
Tech skills are a critical baseline everywhere, but so are exclusively human skills. For people to add value and drive into areas of collaboration, creativity, innovation, productivity, and teamwork, employers need to recognize that these “soft” skills need training, practice, and coaching to develop. Savvy companies will take the opportunity to understand where they need investments in training and learning and development (L&D) to reshape their workforces.
Creating a happy medium between human and AI-powered workforces
Is there a best-case scenario for creating a happy medium between human and AI-powered workforces? Yes! Fostering greater equity at work through training. Think about the world’s top career drivers: People want fulfilling work and better compensation and’ll do what it takes to achieve both.
Professionals see education and training as vital requirements for career advancement. Over 80 percent of U.S. workers identify continuing education as a must-have for staying up-to-date in their chosen field. More than three-quarters (76%) of workers see the world shifting to a model where people participate in learning and education over their lifetimes, including their careers.
Employers are increasingly in agreement: 45 percent of U.S. workers report their employers offer skill training as a benefit, and 79 percent of workers with access to continuing education and L&D take advantage of those opportunities. Currently, the most popular industries for upskilling include:
- Anything that’s technology and business-related.
- Electronics, computers, and software.
- Data science.
- Financial services.
But while staying current on fraud protection or the latest cybersecurity concerns is essential, so is knowing how to lead a team or work with others. Soft skills, however, are hard to cultivate, replicate, or automate, yet they’re crucial for ensuring tech employees can develop, learn, integrate, and perform well. Job analyses show employers expect their employees to be adaptable, with solid self-management, robust interpersonal skills, and effective problem-solving — all skills vital for long-term, sustainable organizational success.
Companies have historically prioritized experience and hard skills while neglecting soft skills, but this approach is increasingly short-sighted. Failing to assess a job candidate’s fit based on soft skills can adversely impact individuals, teams, and overall business health.
Successfully aligning human skills with AI
People need technical skills, but AI can help pick up much of the slack. However, tasks AI can’t do offer people the opportunity to improve their human skills. AI may automate routine, repetitive tasks, but roles involving complex socio-emotional skills like coaching and leadership remain human-focused.
In fact, many exclusively human skills involving creativity, cross-domain thinking, social intelligence, and strategy can’t be taught to AI through data sets. These areas aren’t AI’s strength, but they are human strengths. Developing these skills in employees makes a company’s people more adaptable and complementary to AI systems. A non-technical skillset maximizes human talent.
Lifelong learning, including L&D offered by employers, ensures individuals adapt more successfully even as the technology evolves. With adaptable, non-technical skillsets, humans can more easily switch domains and continue adding value instead of fading into obsolescence when one of their single technology skills fades.
Another benefit? Well-rounded skill sets enhance innovation, perspective, and wisdom, which are fundamentally human traits. Tech skills code algorithms to specific goals, but non-tech skills guide overall progress toward more broadly defined objectives. In other words, a strong foundation of human skills is essential for employer and employee success now and in the future.
Where do we start?
To give people the skills they need to thrive in the digital age, companies should train (and retrain) their employees regularly to stay abreast of technological developments. We can start by studying and using today’s data to predict future needs.
The “power skills” most in demand today are attention to detail, collaboration, communication, customer service, and leadership. However, by 2026, the following skills are projected to be most in demand and in need of employer (and employee) investment and training:
- Achievement focus: an employee’s ability to work hard with energy and persistence to achieve high-quality, impactful results.
- Collaboration: a person’s ability to build relationships and work effectively with others to achieve shared goals.
- Customer focus: an employee’s ability to prioritize customers and consistently meet or exceed their needs and expectations.
- Cultural and social intelligence: an employee’s ability to navigate complex social relationships and settings effectively.
- Personal learning and mastery: an employee’s commitment toward continuous skill improvement and expertise development in their field.
What can companies do to unlock these skills?
An organization’s most impactful initiatives involve embedding soft skill growth into company culture from the top down and work environments focused on enabling human potential at all levels. One way to foster this growth is to understand your workforce’s strengths and needs.
Learning leaders often struggle to find the right learning opportunities and create effective development plans because they lack sufficient data on employees’ skills, experiences, and career aspirations. A recent Randstad report offers a wake-up call in this regard: 72 percent of human capital leaders anticipate business disruption from skills gaps in 2024 alone.
Treating skills development as a priority and a strategic advantage requires investigating relevant, up-to-date people data and acting on the findings.
HR technology allows employers better to grasp employee skill deficiencies and overall workforce requirements. With those insights, companies can offer more relevant learning, boost employee retention, and align their workforce for greater innovation and adaptability.
Remember: the most successful L&D efforts involve continual commitment, not one-off training. A culture focused on nurturing all employees’ human skills and socio-emotional agility leads organizations to achieve higher levels of trust, innovation, collective ownership, and leadership.
Human skills are in high demand across all sectors, and while tech expertise remains important, we face a looming wave of scarcity regarding workers with key skills. Employers need staff with versatile interpersonal skills applicable across various roles. Talent’s ability to adapt and continually learn is vital for career and workplace advancement.
The most empowering human-AI collaboration stems from complementary skill sets. While AI handles data processing, prediction, and automation, those non-tech skills make humans indispensable partners in directing that technology toward creative, strategic, and meaningful ends. And you need a balance of both enterprise and employee prosperity and success.
