Big changes have been happening in the human resources department. As recently as last year, business-oriented social media giant LinkedIn reported a 21x upswell in job postings focusing on GPT- and ChatGPT-related capabilities.
This year, however, is showing a tangible swing toward softer skills, with an enormous 98% of surveyed employers stating the need for change in the skills of their employees.
95% of learning and development professionals called soft skills “more critical than ever before,” with hiring managers in the Asia-Pacific ranking hireability criteria like so:
- problem-solving = 35%
- communication = 27%
- critical thinking = 25%
- AI (artificial intelligence) skills = 19%
- IT (information technology) & web expertise = 17%
A separate study of business leaders who are also frequent AI users was even more heavily weighted toward soft skills, with respondents citing virtue, strong moral character, and especially integrity—far in the lead at 78%—as their most sought-after qualities.
All these numbers reflect a dramatic turnaround from the previous fever-pitch of excitement around integrating AI and gen AI (generative artificial intelligence) capacities in business operations. This is probably attributable to one or more of the following factors:
1. Many companies are discovering that it’s less about what AI you use and more about how you use it. Simply slapping AI capability onto their existing tech stacks isn’t cutting it for most businesses – for now, at least, AI isn’t instantly able to do what you want it to, not without humans to make it happen and keep it happening. To do that, yes, you need some AI and IT know-how, but also – and arguably more importantly – problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication. That’s hardly a coincidence.
2. Companies whose AI adoption is working want to maximize the time and headspace freed up for their personnel. If you’ve got your AI integration on the ball and up to speed, many tasks and busywork have been lifted off your employees’ shoulders. So, naturally, you’ll want them to turn their energies onto more complex matters that computer intelligence isn’t equipped to handle. This typically means areas of endeavor that involve soft skills, like negotiation and customer-facing. And if some businesses do this, it means those that can avoid being left behind.
3. As AI and gen AI become more widespread, there’s growing concern about ethical issues, such as privacy and algorithm bias. There’s a clear connection between this and the abovementioned emphasis on integrity. As people more and more often find themselves listening or talking to machines, it becomes increasingly imperative to nurture a sense of trust and authenticity with consumers. Within the workplace, 72% of executives also predict that oral communication will ramp up in importance, while 50% expect written communication to decrease in value due to machine-generated messaging.
Naturally, personnel must be able to use the AI you’ve incorporated. But these days, with tech evolving so rapidly, employers care less about finding people who already have the know-how they need and more about cultivating people who can continuously and repeatedly acquire whatever knowledge they need.
With job skills anticipated to change by nearly 70% as early as 2030, the most valuable soft skills of all are the potential for growth and the ability to learn, particularly with 94% of surveyed companies planning to upskill their personnel in 2024.
So the machine revolution isn’t happening just yet, as, right now, soft skills reign supreme.
