It is becoming evident that we all feel a little bit overwhelmed by the seemingly endless possibilities the future holds. Change is occurring instantaneously, accelerating quickly, and creating so many complexities, disruptiveness and uncertainty that even the most confident are not sure whether they’re prepared for the “revolution” which is actually already happening.

Technological progress such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; the sharing and knowledge economy; Demographic, social and environmental changes; Globalisation; and labour flexibility are among the main causes of this revolution.

The workplace has definitely been subjected to some great transformation and over the past three years has had to change more rapidly than it did in the past 30 years or so – with a pace that is still accelerating.

This is having a direct impact on the present and future skills required by organisations and their respective workforce in order to remain competitive and relevant.

According to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Future of Jobs Report, 44 per cent of worker skills will be disrupted over the next five years with what are called the 21st century skills in great demand.

The report also forecasts that six out of every 10 employees will require reskilling and upskilling, but, even more worrying is that many will lack access to the resources they need. This is probably why it is estimated that by 2030 some 85 million jobs will go unfilled due to a lack of skills.

Currently students are studying subjects that could be irrelevant in 10 years’ time and it’s highly likely that they will be employed in jobs that don’t even exist yet. It is difficult to prepare for a future job that’s impossible to predict.

However, there are skills that we need to have to help current employees to remain relevant and prospective employees to succeed in future careers, whatever those might be.

That’s what the future really holds. New scenarios that need critical thinking, that need creativity, that need flexibility that need all the 21st century skills to overcome these challenges.

Let’s face it, knowledge today is available at the click of a button and the tap on a screen and no one can ever claim to be able to outsmart machines and devices.

What we do need to know, however, is how to transfer that available knowledge and how to use that knowledge in new and developing circumstances.

HR need to deviate their people and recruitment strategies from a job-focused mindset to one where employees and potential employees are valued for their skills

This is where the 21st century skills come into play. In fact, today’s job market demands these 21st century skills, and a growth mindset that embraces continuous learning. What employers are really looking out for are people with a versatile skills set; skills such as adaptability, strong communication skills, collaboration and teamwork, digital literacy, curiosity, innovation and critical thinking, and above all creativity.

Creative thinking allows you to innovate in leaps and bounds rather than making small improvements on pre-existing ideas.

Local HR professionals seem to be very much aware of this with 80 per cent saying that their respective organisations are committed to developing and rewarding these skills and 89 per cent believe that it is important to focus on these skills, according to an FHRD-PWC pulse survey carried out among HR professionals working in Malta, which will be launched at the up-and-coming FHRD annual conference next week.

This looks very promising since the HR teams within their respective organisations need to be the catalysts of change and need to lead the way to create a skills-based organisation, moving away from the traditional, knowledge-based models we are accustomed to.

Skills-based organisations are the best prepared to navigate the reality in which artificial intelligence increases its ability to enhance and form an integral part of the workforce.

And although pessimists might say that AI will take millions of jobs and put people out into the street, those ready to embrace the change say that AI has the ability to create more new jobs than it replaces, if the skills are available.

Skills-based organisations break down traditional roles and instead define work by describing the tasks and activities that need to be performed.

This means that HR need to deviate their people and recruitment strategies from a job-focused mindset to one where employees and potential employees are valued for their skills, contributions and long-term relevance rather than for their educational history, the job roles they held and the level of seniority they achieved.

The new expectations among the Gen Z digital native generation and soon with the Gen Alpha, the first generation to grow up in an entirely digital world, and the development and adoption of transformative new technologies have changed the types of positions organisations need to fill, as well as the skills needed to perform them.

The truth is that ignoring this rapid transformation of the future of workers, the future of working and the future of work itself could be catastrophic. We have to move away from what we see as normal today and create a new sense of normal which enhances and compliments, rather than resists and confronts, the doubts and uncertainties we have, which will all make more sense as time goes by.

Matthew Naudi is president of the FHRD.