striking-balance-talent-tech-human-skills

Adecco Research and Insights

Striking the Right Balance Between Talent and Tech – The Value of Human Skills

June 2024

The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025, the time spent on current tasks at work by humans and machines will be equal. How do you navigate this shift so that you’re recruiting future-proof talent who will deliver maximum productivity for your business?

June 2024

Key takeaways

Skills shortages are negatively impacting businesses, with 67% of employers reporting that they are experiencing their most significant skill shortages in digital and technology-related disciplines.
The workforce is continually evolving, according to 45% of large UK companies, most positions they will need to fill by 2030 do not exist today.
Human skills are irreplaceable and in high demand. Digital literacy, specialist IT skills, data literacy, creativity and innovation, and critical thinking will be most in demand in five years.
AI is influencing many areas of business, and 61% of executives believe AI will revolutionise their respective industries.
Trust and transparency are crucial when implementing emerging technologies into workplace tasks and processes, with 69% of working adults in the UK thinking employers should have to consult their staff first before introducing new technologies such as AI in the workplace.

“Artificial intelligence is not a substitute for human intelligence; it is a tool to amplify human creativity and ingenuity”, so said Fei-Fei Li, Co-Director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and IT Professor at the Graduate School of Business. In a rapidly evolving labour market and technological landscape, human potential, and tech innovations are reshaping the ways we work.

The concept of an Augmented Connected Workforce (ACWF) – a relatively new term coined by Gartner in the face of AI advancements – can be defined as the collaboration of human intelligence and technological abilities. Artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and machine learning are revolutionising the labour market, augmenting and enhancing human capabilities and productivity.

Whilst this is a polarising topic for many, elevating inherently human skills alongside growing technologies is essential to leveraging the advantages of an augmented humanity, while also recognising the importance of irreplaceable human traits such as emotional intelligence, empathy, and creativity. Niki Turner-Harding, Country Head for Adecco UK & Ireland said “Adopting AI in the workforce is one of the highest priorities for companies everywhere, but there’s still a lot of confusion about how to leverage the opportunities in an ethical and transparent way. However, the future of work relies on integrating technological advances with a human touch – and an ACWF represents the best of both worlds.” An ACWF not only combines both types of abilities to promote productivity but also elevates inclusivity, employee competencies, and informed decision-making.

A changing skills landscape in the face of advancing technologies

Planning for the future of skills is more of a conundrum than ever before. Whilst historically roles have been clearly defined and recruited for, Adecco’s latest research suggests that 45% of large UK employers think the majority of jobs they need to recruit by 2030 don’t exist today. How then can organisations successfully identify key talent opportunities whilst navigating the potential barriers driven by the interplay between human talent and tech? With emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, automation, and machine learning, reshaping today’s world of work, we explore the imperative of bridging the digital skills gap to better equip the modern workforce in times of change.

The Adecco Group‘s latest Business Leaders Survey recently examined the changing world of work from the C-suite perspective, focusing on the impact on talent strategies relating to artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) by surveying 2,000 executives in collaboration with Oxford Economics. The survey outlines that AI has penetrated many areas of business, with leaders saying they want to harness its power, as 61% of business leaders expect AI will prove to be a game changer for their industry.¹

61% of business leaders expect AI to change their industry

Source: The Adecco Group Business Leaders Survey - Leading Through the Great Disruption, 2024

The future of advanced technology in the world of work remains a hotly discussed subject among both employees and business leaders, making it crucial to improve understanding and alleviate concerns in the workplace, where such technologies are being progressively adopted. Critics have highlighted gaps in trust regarding the Augmented Connected Workforce (ACWF), arguing that implementation should be founded on transparency. According to a recent YouGov study conducted for the Trades Union Congress (TUC), findings revealed that 69% of working adults in the UK think employers should have to consult their staff first before introducing new technologies such as AI in the workplace.2 With this in mind, the TUC shared a draft of the Artificial Intelligence (Regulation and Employment Rights) Bill , in April 2024, which seeks to protect employees through the regulation of AI use by employers, ensuring deployment is safe, secure, and fair. As workplaces increase their understanding and as legislation evolves, the potential remains for various benefits and opportunities to emerge.

In-demand skills and the future of work

Increased digitalisation in the workplace has spurred an already broadening skills gap within the UK workforce, driving the demand for sharpened human skills. Adecco’s research in the UK found that 67% of employers are experiencing their most significant skill shortages in digital and technology-related disciplines. Reinforcing this, a further survey by People Management found that four in five UK employers say the lack of digital skills is negatively impacting their business and means they cannot achieve their strategic goals.3 As technology advances and becomes heavily embedded, employees and employers must keep pace to capitalise from it. Our Business Leaders survey found that digital literacy (46%), specialist IT skills (e.g., AI or Gen AI) (45%), data literacy (42%), creativity and innovation (40%) and critical thinking (37%), will be most in demand in five years and will be needed to empower both workers and technology in an ACWF.⁴

Source: The Adecco Group Business Leaders Survey - Leading Through the Great Disruption, 2024

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that around 11% of tasks are now exposed to generative AI, and this could increase fivefold if AI systems became more deeply integrated into organisational processes.5 Notwithstanding this, human capital tips the scales when it comes to workplace value, with over half (57%) of leaders arguing that the human touch is still more influential than AI in the workplace.⁶

Source: The Adecco Group Business Leaders Survey - Leading Through the Great Disruption, 2024

How tech is enabling the expansion of human skills

Further advances in technology are also expected to enable workers to expand their abilities by automating cyclical tasks. PwC’s Annual CEO Survey suggests that globally, CEOs perceive enormous inefficiencies across a range of their companies’ routine activities, including decision-making meetings and emails, classing approximately 40% of the time spent on these tasks as inefficient. 60% expect that generative AI could help to alleviate these tasks.7 This creates space for more complex skills to be developed, particularly as augmented technologies also provide a nuanced route for training, life-long learning, and development opportunities. Both as a combination and in isolation, virtual learning, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence can assist employees by providing personalised and data-driven platforms for upskilling and redeploying worker skills in order to maximise investment.

AI will impact not only the employee experience but also how employees can approach their own career journey. In collaboration with Microsoft, Adecco has developed Career Copilot, an AI-driven Career Coach which provides personalised career development advice, from CV tailoring and interview preparation, through to job personalisation and career pathing. Denis Machuel, Chief Executive Officer, the Adecco Group, said:

Enterprise adoption of GenAI in the workforce is one of the highest priorities for companies everywhere, but without an equally urgent and deliberate focus on individuals, millions could be left behind. Our research shows that 70% of workers now use GenAI at work, but access to training and guidance remains a barrier. Our vision is to enable all individuals to maintain their skills currency and employability in the era of GenAI.

Increased productivity is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the value that AI can bring to the employee experience. AI can not only enhance employees’ ability to structure ideas during mind-mapping sessions, but can help to establish a stronger rapport with remote and hybrid workers to enhance efficiency, optimise the effectiveness of collaborative work, and suggest links with other stakeholders and departments working on similar projects.

Augmented humanity as a game changer for equality, diversity and inclusion?

In the case of equality, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I), human understanding and care cannot be replaced. However, technology can serve as a powerful ally, offering many advantages. For example, key elements of an Augmented Connected Workforce (ACWF) include connectivity through natural language processing (NLP), allowing more natural interactions between both humans and AI. This includes using chatbots that offer employees and candidates proactive support through historical data analysis, improving response time and the quality of hires. Not only does this improve engagement, but it also helps to break down potential barriers for many diverse groups, including neurodivergent individuals and people with different linguistic backgrounds, by making communications more accessible. Using AI and NLP can also help to repackage training programmes and onboarding processes, while making workplaces generally more accessible and engaging overall.

An ACWF also provides the benefits of mitigating unconscious bias in the early stages of recruitment by removing human biases in the selection process and analysing candidate profiles with a focus on skills-based hiring. LinkedIn data suggests that 80% of surveyed recruiting professionals say their organisations are committed to creating a more diverse workforce, and skills-based hiring is set to gain traction in the coming years. ⁸

The flexibility provided by an ACWF can help to broaden the talent pool by attracting candidates, while also assisting in the retention of employees with disabilities as they are supported by the adaptability of modern technologies.

Conclusion

An Augmented Connected Workforce (ACWF) is not only about leveraging technology but also about enhancing human potential and addressing acute skills gaps

Combining AI, automation and machine learning with human skills like empathy, creativity, and critical thinking puts businesses in the best place to solve the real challenges they face, and ultimately drive sustainable growth and innovation. Used responsibly, an ACWF could be the answer to an inclusive tomorrow where people remain central and AI acts as a valuable ally in productivity and talent planning.

Niki Turner-Harding, Country Head Adecco UK & Ireland.

As businesses navigate the complexity of these developments, part of the challenge lies in knowing where to begin. Forward-thinking leaders in this space are taking three key actions: Firstly, they are assessing and understanding the skill capabilities within their existing workforce to recognise potential skills gaps or opportunities. Secondly, they are engaging in robust workforce planning to anticipate and meet future needs. Finally, they are exploring tech partnerships and developing proprietary tools to leverage the early-stage advances of AI, all while maintaining a risk-conscious approach. By adopting these strategies, businesses can expect to see streamlined task completion, increased productivity, and a more agile workforce.

Interested in learning more about leveraging human skills in a world of tech? Get in touch today!