3 Competencies Employees Need for the New World of Work

The economy is changing rapidly, and so is the workplace. Skills are becoming outdated more quickly than ever. What skills will people need to succeed in the coming years? Here are three of the most important.  

1. Digital literacy 

Almost all employers are now in the process of going virtual with many work processes. Automation such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and virtual reality are fast moving into the workplace and becoming more mainstream. 

Employees in just about every industry and every job will need to have some degree of technological literacy. They will need to understand digital technologies like blockchain, IoT, and interpreting data.  

Moreover, as remote work becomes more common, workers will need to develop an understanding of digital communication technologies as well, such as Slack, Zoom, and Asana.  

2. Critical thinking skills  

Surveys have shown that many professions believe critical thinking skills to be the most important going forward. Another report by Deloitte showed that leading technology, media, and telecom companies value these skills even more than technical skills. 

As technology has advanced, we are being bombarded by ever-increasing amounts of information. To work effectively in this type of environment, people will have to know how to interpret all of this data, analyze it, evaluate it, and apply it to solve problems, make decisions, and create new ideas. 

3. Social and emotional intelligence  

These are the so-called soft skills, those involving communication, collaboration, leadership, and personal development.  

In the future workplaces, those who succeed will be ones who can accommodate different styles of communicating and working with different sorts of personalities. They will know how to work with others, see problems from different perspectives, understand the feelings and attitudes of others, persuade and handle conflicts. These are all human attributes that no algorithm can handle. 

Other skills that will be highly valued involve those relating to self-motivation and self-discipline, especially as more people are working remotely. Employers value people who strive for personal and professional growth. These are people who are lifelong learners, who manage their time well, who take the initiative, who handle stress well, and who can adapt to change.  

Find Qualified and Reliable Talent 

If your company is looking for qualified, reliable people, G.A. Rogers can provide them. We thoroughly screen all of our job candidates to ensure they have the skills and experience you need, and that they will be a good fit for your company. Give us a call today.