Manuel del Val, Managing Director at Green Mowers (Civil Engineer)

Burgos, January 23, 2024.- Technological advance is unstoppable. Perhaps its adoption for more than 8 billion people is not the same. But the rhythms in each society, in each country, will end up homogenizing. An example. When Steve Jobs presented the iPhone in 2007, it was the most expensive smartphone compared to all of its competitors. 17 years later, and with high prices, the iPhone is the best-selling Smartphone in the world.

For this reason, the imminent landing of Artificial Intelligence in our lives should be taken more naturally. In reality, AI are only algorithms and mathematical formulas created by a human being for repetitive and everyday tasks in our daily lives.

A Nobel Prize-winning labour market economist has cautioned younger generations against piling into studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Stem) subjects, saying “empathetic” and creative skills may thrive in a world dominated by artificial intelligence (AI).

Christopher Pissarides, professor of economics at the London School of Economics, said workers in certain IT jobs risk sowing their “own seeds of self-destruction” by advancing AI that will eventually take the same jobs in the future.

While Prof Pissarides is an optimist on AI’s overall impact on the jobs ­market, he raised concerns for those taking Stem subjects hoping to ride the coat-tails of the technological advances. He said that despite rapid growth in the demand for Stem skills, jobs requiring more ­traditional face-to-face skills, such as in hospitality and healthcare, will still dominate the jobs market.

“The skills that are needed now to collect the data, collate it, develop it, and use it to develop the next phase of AI or more to the point, make AI more applicable for jobs will make the skills that are needed now obsolete because it will be doing the job,” he said in an interview.

“Despite the fact that you see growth, they’re still not as numerous as might be required to have jobs for all those graduates coming out with Stem because that’s what they want to do. This demand for these new IT skills, they contain their own seeds of self-destruction.”

The popularity of Stem subjects has boomed in recent years as students hope to make themselves more employable.

The rapid rise of AI could ­transform the skills needed for workers as it makes some tasks and roles obsolete.

However, in the long term, managerial, creative and empathetic skills, including communications, customer services and healthcare, will likely remain high in demand as they are less replaceable by technology, particularly AI.

“When you say the majority of jobs will be jobs that will involve personal care, communication, good social relationships, people might say, ‘Oh, God, is that what we have to look forward to in the future?’,” Prof Pissarides said.

“We shouldn’t be looking down at these jobs. They’re better than the jobs that school leavers used to do.”

Cyprus-born Prof Pissarides, along with Peter Diamond and Dale Mortensen, received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2010 for their work on labour market economics, specifically so-called frictions that result in mismatches between job vacancies and unemployment ways, including examining how wages and hiring are affected by regulation and policy.

92% of companies say human capabilities or soft skills matter just as much as hard skills.

Yet, many employees are unaware of how significant soft skills are ​​within their own careers, says Rachel.

“While technical skills are essential to complete one’s job, soft skills are crucial to apply and execute those technical skills. Interpersonal skills, like communication, teamwork and adaptability demonstrate an employee’s ability to work collaboratively, for example working on a cross-department project and effectively presenting the value of their results.

“Soft skills are intangible and demonstrate an employee’s ability to lead a team, interact internally and externally at an organisation, and make decisions that improve business performance.”

Rachel points to soft skills as helping individual employees adapt to challenges more easily and lead within their teams.

“They are extremely valuable as they enable employees to solve problems on their own and within a team setting. Without them, projects don’t get off the ground, workers can feel disengaged, and executives, managers and employees struggle to do their jobs.”

When it comes to leadership, Rachel points to a number of specific soft skills she says will be crucial in this age of AI.

• Critical thinking: As AI systems automate tasks and analysis, leaders will need to interpret and contextualise results, assess implications and make business-driven decisions.
  
• Effective Communication: Effective communication is essential to help leaders and teams align on business goals and navigate AI-related changes.
  
• Innovation: Leaders will need to find ways to foster a culture of innovation and leverage their own creativity to encourage new and novel ideas for complicated challenges.
  
• Adaptability: Employees today live in a fast-paced digital era that requires the ability to be agile and adaptable to new tech. Leaders should find areas where AI can make teams more efficient and capitalise on new opportunities through tech.
  
• Leadership and teamwork: WhileAI and ChatGPT can provide information and even insights and recognition, leadership and teamwork are critical for organisations to grow and evolve. With disruptive technology such as AI, it’s critical to prioritise the human component of work and decision-making.

Soft skills can be learned

And the good news is, soft skills can be developed, says Rachel, though they do require an ongoing training process that is personalised to the individual – as well as patience and consistent effort from both employers and employees.  

To improve employee soft skills, Rachel recommends employers incorporate a range of formats.

• Learning and development: Upskilling and reskilling courses can help employees enhance specific soft skills and apply them to day-to-day practices.
  
• Mentorship and coaching programs: Pair employees with experienced leaders that provide guidance and support through personal examples and active feedback.
  
• On-the-job training: Managers can provide constructive feedback on an employee’s skill growth and provide opportunities to grow specific skills, i.e., new projects that require extensive teamwork.

Readings consulted in:

Business Chief

Irish Independent

Source Photography: Unsplash: Bank of free images as expressed in its business description, on January 23, 2024. Author: Mathew Schwartz