2020 Megatrends and imperative workforce skills

It’s 2020 and workforces need to swiftly change if they want to remain competitive in industry (at the very least). Megatrends are global, sustained economic forces that impact the economy, business, industry and culture) that industries need to embrace – from the top down – for high performance in the ‘2020s’. To identify and simplify three looming megatrends, TAFE Queensland has consulted with futurists and conducted literature reviews for you. 

Megatrend one

Talk of ‘future technologies and development’ can often cause a sense of apprehension amongst business owners and managers. You didn’t commute to work on a hoverboard, so is advancing your own technology practices really happening, and therefore, that big of a deal?

According to Deloitte’s Tech Trends (2019) report the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Technology development is already impacting existing jobs and creating new positions, businesses, and industries. Further, nearly 70 per cent of the positions young people are moving into already involve automation (Foundation for Young Australians, New Work Order, 2019). Technological advancement will soon impact everything - from the way we pay for our groceries, right through to how we tackle climate change. Do you agree, Alexa / Siri / Google Nest?

Megatrend two

Life-long education. A stand-alone bachelor’s degree has an expiry date when automation and other technologies streamline processes, across all industries. Thus, re-skilling and continuously up-skilling employees will be crucial (to adapt).

Megatrend three

Entrepreneurship and innovation. Uber swiftly disrupted the taxi industry using a digital platform and you should expect similar ‘disruption’ in yours. Better still, be the disruptor. Netflix > Foxtel > Blockbuster Video. Expect many more ‘Netflixes’.

But how? How can your sector, your business and your team thrive throughout these megatrends? What’s needed to be on the front foot? No, it’s not a 101-Coding course or time to rush out and buy some drones, rather it’s about enhancing those skills that robots, AI, and automation can’t offer – the ‘soft’, human ones.

Critical skills for 2020 workforce performance

Decision making and problem solving: the ability to ask the right questions and come up with left-field responses is what separates us from the robots. This focus on creative problem solving will organically bring about new technologies.

Managing resources and others: smaller workforces due to newly streamlined processes can often mean limited resources. The highly adept manager will be one who can identify resource gaps and delegate or look outward and outsource.

Communication skills: never have these been more important – thanks to the ‘gig economy’, employees, if not met with a manager who engages in open communication, mutual respect and active listening, can quickly find one who does. Similarly, say goodbye to loyalty – without an empathetic manager, employees will seek to work where they feel valued and this will oftentimes be their side-hustle or start-up.

At TAFE Queensland we believe that these skills, once learned, can be what changes someone’s life and workforce for the better. We deliver custom, flexible training options for businesses - big or small. Further, we have a range of product options available – from full qualifications, to micro credentials, accredited and non-accredited training, workforce development planning, and individual mentoring, to large-scale high-volume training programs made custom to your needs.