Research by The Adecco Group suggests that over three quarters (77 per cent) of Australian employees believe that their current skills will still be in demand in five years’ time. At the same time, 85 per cent of workplaces are preparing for a likely shift in skills required and hiring staff they can upskill. This indicates that many employees could risk becoming irrelevant in five years’ time if they do not consider upskilling to keep their skills fresh.
The research, which accompanies The Adecco Group’s 2019 Australia Salary Guide, presents responses from 5,000 Australian employers and employees to shed light on their workplace perspectives. Rafael Moyano, CEO, Australia, The Adecco Group commented, “To stay relevant in a labour market that is and will be disrupted by technology, workers must continuously develop their capabilities. Those workers who think they won’t do any continual learning and still remain relevant in five or more years’ time are not future proofing their employment opportunities.”
Skill shortages are still very much in existence with 59 per cent of workplaces indicating that technical skills are hard to recruit for. In addition, 41 per cent of workplaces say soft skills such as verbal communications (62 per cent), team work (61 per cent) and problem solving (57 per cent) are most important in the workplace.
Over a quarter (27 per cent) of those surveyed currently have a side hustle showing that they are using their spare time in other avenues, with 62 per cent of those doing so to earn more money. Moyano added: “Lifelong learning has become essential amid the breath-taking pace of change. To keep up, workers need to take advantage of workplace learning opportunities and continual learning opportunities outside of the workplace when they arise.”
