Robot workers replacing human jobs – the debate of the decade. All around the world companies and individuals alike are concerned with the impact of automation on the future of work.
In Malaysia chances are 11- 54% of current jobs will significantly affected in the next two decades by automation. However, we have good news for you. Our global research shows more employers than ever, 87%, plan to increase or maintain headcount as a result of automation.
Rather than reducing employment opportunities, organizations are investing in digital, shifting tasks to robots and creating jobs. At the same time, companies are scaling their upskilling so their human workforce can perform new and complementary roles to those done by machines.
Companies that are digitizing and investing in IT technologies are growing. That growth is producing more and new kinds of jobs. Those organizations that are already automating tasks and progressing their digital and IT transformation are also most confident of increasing headcount. 24% of those companies say they expect to create more jobs in the next two years.
Only 12% of those that are automating say they will reduce headcount, while 3% are not sure what the future holds.
However, as you might expect, while overall employers are looking to increase their employment, automation is changing the skills companies need from workers. It is estimated for example that in Malaysia 80% of the jobs at high risk of being displaced by technology are those that are semi-skilled.
For example, our report shows that the demand for IT skills is growing significantly and with speed. 16% of companies expect to increase headcount in IT - five times more than expect a decrease.
Meanwhile the availability of tech talent is increasingly scarce, and the education and experience employers require versus what exists is presenting a mismatch. This reality is as true in Malaysia as around the world.
So what does this mean to your organization? Chances are you have experienced a very urgent need to ensure there are highly-skilled workers capable of driving innovation and supporting your company’s future.
With talent shortages at a 12-year high, and new skills appearing as quickly as old ones disappear, more companies are planning to build talent than ever before, and this is projected to increase by 2020.
Companies are realizing they can no longer expect to find just-in-time talent, on tap. We found that 84% of organizations globally expect to be upskilling their workforce by 2020.
Interestingly, demand for tech and digital skills is growing across all functions, yet employers place increasing value on human skills as automation scales and machines prove better at routine tasks.
While 38% of organizations say it is difficult to train in-demand technical skills, 43% said it is even harder to teach the soft skills they need such as analytical thinking and communication.
So if you want to really compete in the Skills Revolution, you need to promote a culture of learning, provide career guidance and offer short, focused upskilling opportunities.
People need to know how to prepare for high growth roles of the future and that their employer supports their learning to stay relevant in this rapidly changing world of work.