IT Skills Will Be In Greatest Demand Among Future Employers
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Increased technology skills will be a sought-after attribute in the workplace for future generations, a new study suggests.
A GEMS Education survey of 400 business leaders from around the globe revealed that increased technological capabilities, such as IT, mobile computing and social mediaknow-how, are considered to be the most important skills for tomorrow's global work force. Of those surveyed, 37 percent ranked those skills as being most critical down the road.
"The GEMS Education survey shows clearly that American business leaders, as well as those from other corners of the world, prioritize IT skills above any other skills for their future work force," Manny Rivera, chief executive officer of GEMS' U.S.-based Global Partnership Schools, said in a release. "Governments need to take note of business leaders' view of skills more than ever, as there is a global skills race that is only going to get more competitive."
Deep technical skills, such as specializing in a specific technology, took second place on the skills priority list, with 20 percent of business leaders ranking it as the most important skill for tomorrow's global work force.
With so many skills required for the future, the survey also found that there is significant concern among business leaders that students aren’t being well-prepared to meet those needs.
Less than 50 percent of the U.S. business leaders surveyed said they feel students are being adequately prepared — and 44 percent in the U.S. indicated they have no way of changing or reforming the educational systemto help meet those needs.
Rivera said that’s a reality that governments must address quickly, as students are increasingly in competition with graduates from other countries for global jobs.
"The rise of countries such as China, India and Brazil means that the global economy has a huge amount of growth to offer," Rivera said. "The countries that are the most skilled are likely to reap the most rewards."
The survey also examined some of the top ways to find the best employees, including hiring from abroad. Just 5 percent of U.S. business leaders felt recruiting from overseas is the most effective way of finding the most suitable employees, compared with 22 percent of Chinese leaders who responded to the survey.
Published at the World Economic Forum's "Summer Davos," the survey of 404 senior business leaders from the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Brazil was commissioned by Global Partnership Schools and GEMS Education from PricewaterhouseCoopers
