“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” – Robert Greene
The COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent world-wide lockdown has severely impacted the global economy. Due to the unprecedented challenges, most of the organisations are already witnessing a significant decline in revenues, falling demand and this is likely to lead to job losses. It has become one of the biggest threats for financial markets, taking businesses, start-ups, and employees across industries for a wild, and notably scary ride.
According to the United Nations Conference on World Trade and Development, the coronavirus pandemic might cost the global economy USD 1-2 trillion this fiscal year, which has already started to pinch several sectors. The industries around the world are bearing the brunt including Aviation, Hospitality, Retail, Entertainment, Tourism, Logistics, and many others including Financial Services. Leading economists are saying that what lies ahead could be worse than the “Great Recession”, some go so far as to say that depression lies in the near future.
According to them, even if the Covid-19 cases decline, effects of the lockdown and the pandemic will continue for at least a few quarters and will take around six to nine months for things to start normalising. Increasingly, we will notice that businesses will not operate in the same manner and the period of uncertainty and challenges will remain.
The current scenario might have caused unpredictability on the country’s job market, but the demand for niche job skills has not dried up. Corporates are hiring talent to select roles that require specialised certifications in niche skills across business segments. Once companies increase hiring again post COVID-19, there will be a lot of competition for jobs. There will be people with the same experience, same degrees, and same hard skills competing for the same job. So, how will you stand out from the competition? We can sit there and tell you ‘technology, big and important’, ‘being fast on a computer, really important’ but when it comes to getting the job, it will be about the soft skills because there is too much competition and too many people with the same hard skills.
So, we have prepared a checklist, of the skills that are in, and are going to be in, high demand in this new era of work post-COVID-19.
Data Literacy
The pandemic and consequent lockdown have proved our dependence on digital tools and technological innovations. As such, things are only going to get better for IT fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things, and robotics.
Here are the potential top tech skills that will take centre stage post-coronavirus:
· Software Development: Most organisations will be looking to digitalise, implying more demand for experts who can construct devices, tools, software, and programming. Full-stack development is an ability that will be exceptionally esteemed in the following years.
· Data Science: With the right information, business establishments will have the option to know better on how to deal with their endeavours and get ready for future eventualities like the current pandemic. This is where data science will shine in information gathering, sharing and its utilisation.
· App Design and Development: The capacity to make, structure and create applications and substance for mobile phones will be broadly relied upon across industries.
· AL and ML: Artificial Intelligence as (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) combined with the Internet of Things and mechanical technology have an extremely bright future ahead.
Emotional Intelligence
Interviewers will increasingly try to look at EQ, i.e., emotional intelligence/quotient far more than IQ or intelligence quotient as that is more critical and will be a key differentiator among candidates. The way you deal with situations, if you can make decisions calmly which are not only intellectually but also emotionally difficult, will become more pronounced.
Adaptability and Flexibility
An often-used competency that is most critical at this juncture. Since most strategic plans have gone out of the window and been replaced by business continuity plans and quarterly or monthly schemes in some cases; leaders will have to be adept at managing change.
On the same note, as a result of several organisations laying off their staff, employees face roles that are being merged. Hence, personnel who can quickly adapt, wear multiple hats and be open to change will be more successful.
ABL Recruitment team
