capacity to adapt : having a broader skill base isn ’ t simply about meeting the needs of today ’ s jobs . Rather , these skills equip jobseekers and incumbent employees for the future , enabling them to navigate a dynamic landscape of accelerating change : job losses , job changes , and job creation . Raising one ’ s level of academic attainment is the most familiar of such adaptation . By securing targeted training , and by seeking out hybrid jobs - such as those that require a mix of technical and marketing skills or that combine computer science and business skills - one can command salary premiums without an advanced degree .
Multiple studies cite the development of social and emotional skills , creativity , and high-level cognitive skills as a powerful accelerator of adaptability . Employers prize these skills but often have great difficulty finding them in the workplace . Recent research suggests that rather than declining in importance , these skills are likely to become even more essential , both for jobseekers and incumbent employees and for the success of their workplaces . Further research suggests that those who can combine skills such as empathy , cooperation , and negotiation with mathematical and analytic skills will
thrive in an economy that increasingly relies on both .
Thriving in the new normal
Incumbent employees and jobseekers who possess the new digital skills will thrive in a digital economy - whether in digital roles like software development or in the broad array of work of the global economy , which is increasingly enabled by technology and data .
These new digital skills are valuable to the individual at all levels of a career and make employees more adaptable to future digital disruption by giving them the edge to acquire new skills and , thereby , adapt . However , for the modern day employee to develop and perfect these skills , they need to know that these skills are in fact valued and often required . Otherwise , people will forgo opportunities to build them , or will neglect to communicate their competence or proficiency to employers , losing out on valuable career advancement opportunities .
Jobseekers and incumbent workers can and must take action , but leaders within
education and industry have the greatest opportunity to effect change that is informed by , and responsive to , these findings . The growth and magnitude of recent demand for these skills indicates that they are already of considerable importance to enterprise . Given the supply-demand mismatch for these novel digital skills , those employers with strong representation of these skills in their workforces may find themselves at a significant advantage . That is not only because these capabilities are themselves key to 21st century work , but also because they position organizations well for the future . Just as these skills make people more adaptable to future digital and sectoral disruptions , they can do the same for employers .
Irene Mbonge is the Group Head , Corporate Communication & Public Affairs at CPF Group . You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail at : Mbonge . Irene @ gmail . com .
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