There has been a lot of talk about the great resignation, which originated form the United States post COVID and although we have had a big movement in changing jobs here is Australia, it is still at similar healthy numbers as it was pre covid. Around a million people change jobs every year and the numbers are not really changing at the rate the ‘hype’ is suggesting. And according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures published in the quarterly labour force statistics revealed that in February 2022, 5.2 per cent of employed people reported they were expecting to change jobs in the next 12 months. In February 2020, before the COVID-19 lockdowns, the figure was 4.9 per cent.
There is no doubt people are re-thinking their employment situation and are re-prioritising their roles in life and the way they work but not everyone is leaving their employer.
However, what is changing are some of the tops skills employers are now looking for that extend far past your technical skills.
In the old days we used to call them soft skills, but they are far from soft. We can call them soft skills, non technical skills or people skills;
I like to call them Future Skills
Before we dive into what future skills are, I would love everyone to think back to one of their favourite workplaces from the past. It might even be your current workplace. I am just guessing here, but perhaps your answer may have something to do with how well you got on with the people in that workplace or the way your boss treated you? Am I right? People skills for both leaders and employees are critical for employee retention and engagement.
People skills could be defined as: teamwork, collaboration, listening skills, communication skills, customer service skills and emotional intelligence skills. Many of these skills we are familiar with and are still relevant and in demand but what about the less familiar and critical skills needed for the future?
The Future Skills that are needed to drive organisations into the future: Critical and creative thinking, adaptability, resilience, complex problem solving, strategic thinking, coaching skills, meeting facilitation skills, psychological safety strategies and my favourites are communication agility and of course high level presentation skills.
Communication agility is the ability to adapt your high-level communication skills across situations, methods and platforms. (face to face or digitally) more tips on how to do this are on a previous blog here.
According to a Gallop survey, people are not always looking at universities to upskill for these relevant future skills either. Even in the technical skills department, because many industries are moving faster than the 3 or 4-year degree curriculum. Some progressive universities are pivoting to meet the new way of learning and learner demands, but many educational institutions need to lift their game when it comes to offering relevant degrees that will help prepare their students for now and the future.
There is also a huge push around micro-credentials. Micro-credentials are bite site professional development courses offered at universities, training organisations and workplaces that are transferable and kept on organisational and academic records that are designed to address skills which are relevant now. You can even mix and match them within courses and study them at different academic levels.
We all need to keep our skills up to date and relevant so, if you want to stay employable – keep learning. Assess where your ‘future skills’ gaps are and start upskilling now. And if you are an organisation keep investing in the training and development of your key people.
