As job automation becomes the norm, upskilling sees big demand

Employers fearful of being replaced by automation in the workplace can breathe a sigh of relief — robots don’t have all the skills employees need.

As many as 10 million employees lost their jobs during the pandemic, according to the Labor Department. Many of those employees (40%) were replaced by new technology, according to a survey by MindEdge Learning, a Massachusetts-based education company.

While it’s estimated that 20 million jobs will become automated by 2030, companies can’t survive on automation alone. Survey respondents agreed that employee soft skills like creative thinking (33%), communication (27%), complex problem-solving (26%), IT/network information security (26%) and decision-making (25%) are still important to business success.

“Automation and robotics have been reshaping the workplace for several years, but tighter budgets and the risk of exposure during the pandemic have led companies to accelerate their adoption of these technologies,” said Frank Connolly, director of research at MindEdge Learning, in a release. “At the same time, employers are realizing that despite advancements in technology, automation can’t replace many skills that are essentially human — and these are the skills that can help workers ‘future-proof’ their careers.”

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To keep employees on the cutting edge of new workplace technologies, employers need to invest in professional development. The most popular forums for upskilling include internal training and retraining programs (48%) and online courses (44%), the survey says. Online training is ideal during the pandemic, but 32% of managers say they have limited access to these resources, while 11% say their company isn’t prioritizing training. That could cost companies in the long run, Connolly says.

“In this ‘new normal,’ it is critical that companies find ways to upskill and retrain their employees,” Connolly says. “Efficient and effective professional development courses have become a business necessity.”

Many employees are taking professional development into their own hands; LinkedIn Learning saw a 130% increase in class participation during the pandemic. The networking giant made its classes available for free to help professionals cope with the pandemic; courses cover everything from hard skills like coding and Microsoft products, to soft skills such as communication and leadership.

“If you’re thinking about the long-term health of your organization, it’s a good idea to leverage learning to have an immediate impact on productivity, and bring people together,” said Mordy Golding, director of content strategy for English-language at LinkedIn Learning, in a previous report.

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