India Today – August 19, 2019

(^) Product managers
Iftraditionallytheywereintoconcep-
tualisation,testingandimplementa-
tionofproducts,theyarenowalso
involvedinmeetinggrowthtargets
andanalysingmarketsharesand
revenue.Variousprogrammes,such
asCSPO(CertifiedScrumProduct
Owner),PMI-ACP(PMI–AgileCerti-
fiedPractitioner),CPM(Certified
ProductManager)andCIL(Certified
InnovationLeader)areavailable.
Keyskills:Problem-solving,analytical
abilities,innovation,research,col-
laboration,projectmanagementand
design,forecastinganddataanalytics
besidesgoodcommunication.
Humanresourcesand
organisationaldevelopment
specialists
HRprofessionalsaresupposedto
efficientlymanagethehiringtoexit
processinorganisationsandretain
talentwhileorganisationaldevelop-
mentspecialistshelpbusinessesand
organisationsfunctionbetter.
Keyskills:Bothshouldhaveexcellent
analytical,interpersonal,communica-
tionandinstructionalskillsbesides
beingadeptatchangemanagement.
(^) FinTech professionals
According to Ernst & Young’s FinTech
Adoption Index, one third of consum-
ers globally are using more than two
fintech services. Many Indian start-
ups are creating fintech platforms,
which are being adopted by financial
companies. Right from payment apps
to complex applications using artificial
intelligence and big data, fintech pro-
fessionals continue to be in demand.
Key skills: To excel in the fintech
industry, one should be good in pro-
gramming, data analytics, artificial
intelligence, machine learning, deep
learning, blockchain development,
cyber security and have an under-
standing of finance and the overall
financial services sector. n
The writer is senior vice-president,
TeamLease Services
A
dvancesin
robotics,artificial
intelligence(AI),
andmachinelearn-
ingarepushingthe
frontiersoftechnology.
Thesenewergeneration
autonomoussystems
canperformarangeof
routineactivitiesfaster
andmoreeconomically
thanhumans.Innovative
companiesareusing
themtoaugmenttheir
workforce,creating
ademandfornewly
skilledtalentwhichcan
adapttothesechanges.
Workforcedevelopment
prioritiesandap-
proachesvary.Financial
servicesandtechnol-
ogyfirmsarethemost
forward-lookingand
haveprogressedmore
thanothersonanumber
offronts.Consumer
productsandretailare
lagging.Technology
firmsplacegreater
valueonpartnering
withworkforcedevel-
opmentprogrammes
androllingoutonline
trainingresources.
(^) Mean machine
As many as 375 million
workers globally are
likely to require reskill-
ing or make a transition
to new occupational
categories. Of all the
technologies that will
influence the future
of work, AI will be the
most transformational.
From banks using
anti-money laundering
algorithms as they filter
transactions to call
centre chatbots aug-
menting customer in-
teractions, companies
across industries are
using AI to make faster
and better informed
decisions. It will unlock
new opportunities for
humans and capable
machines to collabo-
rate closely, enabling
businesses to become
efficient and produc-
tive. Jobs are likely to
change and various
roles and industries
will be impacted. The
revolution looks set to
also spawn new kinds
of work that involve
creativity, collaboration
and complex problem-
solving. Analytics, data
sciences, sales and
marketing jobs would
be some of the promis-
ing job titles to be
offered across sectors.
CEOs and business
have a role to play in
helping people adapt to
the changing nature of
work by training them
for the jobs of tomor-
row, because success-
ful AI means enhancing
and not replacing the
human workforce. n
The writer is senior
vice-president and
country leader,
Salesforce India
TOP-PAYING SECTORS
BY SUNIL JOSE