So, which skills are 'future-proof'?
Finely attuned social and emotional skills will be in high demand to counter or balance the adoption of these advanced technologies. For example, those skills that machines are miles away from mastering – courage, creativity, critical thinking, communication, empathy, initiative, intuition, decision-making, resilience and leadership.McKinsey has estimated that by 2030 demand for these skills will have grown by 26% and 22% in the US and Europe respectively. We're born with some of these skills, such as empathy, but others we can acquire and hone, for example creativity, communication or cross-cultural collaboration.One particular skill – initiative-taking – belongs to the fastest-growing category: 33% in the US and 32% in Europe. Demand for courageous leadership and effective management combined with highly attuned communication skills will also grow significantly. In short, a shift towards higher cognitive skills. By 2030, demand for higher cognitive skills such as creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, imagination, decision-making and complex information processing will have grown by 19% and 14% in the US and Europe respectively. Conversely, demand for basic cognitive skills such as literacy and numeracy will decline rapidly as automation advances.