Culture
AI and the skills of the future
Every day seems to bring another headline about how AI is changing the world. In the workplace, AI-enabled technologies will create a profound shift in the jobs we do and how we do them.
To gain insight into this shift, ServiceNow commissioned research on how AI will affect the skills of the future. We asked our research partner Pearson to take a deep dive into six markets—U.S., UK, Germany, Australia, Japan, and India—to identify key job skills people will need five years from now.
We wanted to better understand how AI and automation will transform jobs across industries, as well as learn what business leaders and their employees can do now to prepare.
Shaping the workforce of the future
The research reveals that the more AI does the work of machines, the less humans need to work like machines. Holistic skills—such as communication, collaboration, innovation, and analytical thinking—will become the must-have tech skills of tomorrow.
Happily, these skills can be transferred from the positions most likely to be affected by AI to the tech roles of the future. For instance, the research found that, with the right training, U.S.-based administrative assistants are excellent candidates to meet growing demand for help desk agents.
This is a good thing. After all, humans weren’t born to copy and paste data into spreadsheets all day. However, this shift does require thoughtful action today to reshape the workforce of the future.
Closing the tech talent opportunity gap
According to IDC, 90% of global enterprises face a severe IT tech talent shortage that could cost them $6.5 trillion by 2025.1 The supply of tech workers coming from traditional backgrounds simply can’t feed the demand.
We believe that what looks like a tech skills gap is actually a talent opportunity gap—and AI is giving business leaders a chance to close it. By automating the more technical aspects of tech jobs, AI makes these positions more accessible to people who lack a development or computer science background.
Business leaders must reconsider who and how they hire. They also need to reskill their existing workforce to take on the tech roles of the future. That’s why we launched the RiseUp with ServiceNow global talent movement.
Programs like RiseUp with ServiceNow open learning pathways for people who have been traditionally overlooked by the tech industry. Our goal is to train 1 million people on the Now Platform by the end of 2024, empowering them to build meaningful careers in our ecosystem and enabling customers and partners to find the talent they need to thrive in the digital economy.
Although the headlines regarding AI may seem alarming, the data tells a different story. It’s time for everyone to reimagine their place in the workforce and get excited for the opportunities to come.
Get more insights in the skills of the future digital experience.
1 IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Work 2022 Predictions, Doc # US47290521, October 2021
© 2023 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
