The importance of skills and people

The report on the Future of Jobs 2025, presented by the World Economic Forum last January, predicts a scenario of transformation of the skills that will be most valued in the job market by 2030. For many of us it seems obvious that, in the midst of so many transformations that we have been witnessing, this change is a predictable and natural adjustment, but the fact is that it is clearly a necessity.

The report, which draws its conclusions from a survey of more than 1,000 employers, representing more than 14 million workers and around 55 economies around the world, presents the five determining factors for the transformation of the labour market, namely: technological changes, geo-economic fragmentation, economic uncertainty, demographic changes and the ecological transition.

It is therefore expected that around 40% of the main skills required in the labour market will be transformed or even become obsolete by 2030. However, the same report highlights some improvement in terms of qualifications, with evidence of a growing number of workers investing in requalification and improving their skills (50% compared to 41% in 2023), which shows an awareness of the need to invest in continuous training, allowing companies to anticipate and manage their future needs.

What is certain is that the report highlights the lack of skills, which 63% of employers surveyed identified as the main barrier to business transformation. In response to this trend, companies plan to prioritize upskilling, with around 85% of respondents anticipating this strategy as the main form of adaptation, followed by the automation of processes and tasks (73%) and, thirdly, adjusting the composition of their workforce by hiring new resources with the appropriate skills to meet new needs (70%).

The technological changes that we have been witnessing with visible impacts on companies' business models make it urgent for them to integrate skills development strategies that empower them and, at the same time, provide flexibility. It is interesting to note that technological skills will clearly be skills that will see significant growth, but that they will be complemented by other (non-technological) skills such as creativity and resilience, flexibility and agility, as well as curiosity and lifelong learning.

If we think about those that will be considered core competencies in 2030, then we must also add others, such as leadership and social influence, curiosity, analytical thinking, talent management and motivation and self-awareness, all of which, curiously, are also human.

It is worth saying that amidst so many (and rapid) technological changes, people-centered skills continue to be a central element of resilience, adaptation and empowerment for companies.