This paper conducts empirical research to assess the new skillsets employees require in order to remain competitive in the age of automation.
Research is conducted through focus groups leveraging semi-structured interviews. Participants were selected via convenience sampling from UK-based consulting agencies operating in the public and private sectors.
The findings suggest that organizations are looking to upskill employees in 5 key skill blocks: Humanistic, Process engineering, Automation technologies, Self-leadership and Data driven. The findings also suggest that employee orientation towards these skill blocks will be critical for positive work opportunities in future.
This paper builds on the author’s previous work to produce a conceptual skills framework which can be used by organizations as a blueprint for upskilling their employees in a period of unprecedented technological advancement.
