Riding the Wave of Disruption

As we face the current job climate, it is easy to be distracted by our comparative level of success. For example, many cite our record low unemployment rate as a positive sign of the times¹.  With this mindset, what is often overlooked is the future of work and the overqualified recent graduates that saturate the workforce. It is no secret that innovations in automation are putting many of our current jobs into question. However, as stated by RBC: “the age of automation need not be a threat. If we apply our humanity — to be creative, critical and collaborative — it can be a competitive advantage” ². As a result, facing our generation’s iteration of the industrial revolution, it is important to be prepared for this next wave of disruption within the workplace.

The Skills Revolution

In efforts to learn more about this wave of disruption and how youth can function within it, RBC conducted research on what they called “the skills revolution”². In their country-wide study, they found compelling results including:

• “More than 25% of Canadian jobs will be heavily disrupted by technology in the coming decade. Fully half will go through a significant overhaul of the skills required” ²
• “Canada’s education system, training programs and labour market initiatives are inadequately designed to help Canadian youth navigate this new skills economy” ²
• “An assessment of 20,000 skills rankings across 300 occupations and 2.4 million expected job openings shows an increasing demand for foundational skills such as critical thinking, co-ordination, social perceptiveness, active listening and complex problem solving” ²
• “Global competencies like cultural awareness, language, and adaptability will be in demand” ²

To read the report in full, click here.

Hiring for Transferrable Skills

With this growing emphasis on transferrable skills, RBC posed a call to action: “what if employers agreed to hire for core skills over credentials”? ² In order to facilitate this, hiring tools such as the The Predictive Index® allow employers to define core skills, whether they are cognitive or behavioural in nature, that reflect success in any organization. By customizing core skills that are diverse in nature and reflect what is demanded in the broader workforce, your organization will be committed to developing and cultivating youth who are able to compete in the next wave of disruption.

For more information on the solutions offered by The Predictive Index®, click here.

Source¹: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-there-is-a-future-for-jobs-were-just-not-ready-for-it/

Source²: http://www.rbc.com/newsroom/_assets-custom/pdf/03-2018-rbc-future-skills-report.pdf