India Today – August 19, 2019

174 INDIA TODAY AUGUST 19, 2019

SMART EDUCATION FOCUS

T

echnologyhasfar-

reachingeffectson

jobs.Ithasnotonly

disruptedeverymajor

industrybutalsocreated

newjobroles.

Information

technology

TheITsectorisexpected

tomorethandoubleby

2025,tostandat$435

billion,accordingtoa

recentMcKinseyreport.

ThedemandforIT

professionalscarrying

excellenttechnological

skillshasskyrocketed.

E-commerce

Theretailsector,includ-

inge-commerce,will

registeraphenomenal

growthwithinthenext

fiveyears.Expertsin

digitaltools,suchas

SEOanddataanalytics,

arethemostsought.

Financialservices

Withbankspartnering

withfintechfirmsand

digitisingservices,this

sectorwillgrowphe-

nomenallyandbeworth

$170billionby2025.

Bankingprofessionals,

too,needtokeeptheir

skillsup-to-date.

Telecom

TheTelecomSectorSkill

TOP

SKILLS

BY

PADMAJA

ALAGANANDAN

B

usinessesaregrapplingwithchanges

causedbytechnologicalbreakthroughs,

demographictrends,customerprefer-

ences,policyreformsandthelong-termglobal

economicpowershift.Thisisalsoleadingto

atransformationinworkplaces,investment

intalentandcreatingflexibleandcollabora-

tivewaysofworking.Asorganisationstryto

becomefitforthefuture,wehaveseenroles

goredundantandnewonesemerge.Skillgap

remainsamajorconcernformostCEOs.The

workforce,too,hasevolved.Someappreciate

stabilityandstructuredgrowthwhileothers

needconstantchangeandnewlearning,

andtherearestillothersforwhompurpose

andsustainablechoicescomefirst.Our

‘Workforceofthefuture’studylooksatfour

possible‘WorldsofWork’for2030.

(^) Survival of the skilled
The ‘Red’ world is a perfect incubator for
innovation, with organisations and individuals
racing to give consumers what they want. In
the ‘Blue’ world, capitalism reigns supreme, it’s
where bigger is better. Organisations see their
size and influence as the best way to protect
profit margins against intense competition.
The ‘Yellow’ world would be a networker’s
world where humans come first and skills
are organised in guild-like formations. The
‘Green’ world would be defined by sustainabil-
ity where care is central and individuals and
companies would be concerned about helping
solve problems. Each of these worlds will
attract different kinds of talent and engage
with them in different ways; full-time and
structured employment will be less common
in some. Individuals will need to improve digital
acumen and analytical skills, and the ability to
connect the dots as they gain experience. n
The writer is chief people officer, PwC India
TOP
PLACEMENTS
BYZAIRUSMASTER
Council(TSSC)esti-
matesthat14.3million
high-value,tech-centric
jobswillemergeinthe
comingyears.There
willbeahugedemand
forpeoplefamiliarwith
advancedtechnology.
(^) Automobile
While the auto sector
is currently in a slump,
looking ahead, innova-
tions in the sector are
likely to eventually cre-
ate new jobs. Artificial
intelligence-centric
high-concept innova-
tions, such as connected
mobility and self-driving
cars, are technological
marvels. Automobile
manufacturers across
the globe are focusing on
R&D to come up with
greater products while
bringing current high-
tech concepts to the
highways. The demand
for skilled automobile
professionals is expected
to rev up again in the
later part of 2019.
Logistics and
supply chain
Automation and real-
time data analytics are
some of the major
technologies driving
the disruption in this
space, propelling it to
become a $30 billion
market by the next half-
decade. With machines
fast replacing humans
to perform repetitive
tasks in the supply-
chain management,
the role of managing
these advanced systems
has become one of the
fast-emerging and most
in-demand job roles
available today.
The writer is CEO,
Shine.com