5 Skills Your Workforce Needs to Prepare for a Successful 2022

Heard of the Fourth Industrial Revolution? According to Wikipedia:

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR or Industry 4.0) is the ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices, using modern smart technology.”

AI, machine learning, advanced robotics, and more are transforming every kind of work – and the skills humans will need to thrive on the job. And the rate of technological change is only accelerating, rendering job skills obsolete faster than ever before:

Research suggests that the average half-life of job skills across industries is just five years; in industries like IT, the half-life can be as short as 18 months.
A 2020 World Economic Forum report indicates that at least 54% of all employees will need to enhance their skills to meet changing work requirements by 2022.

As you look to the New Year, what proficiencies will your workforce need to develop? Below, our leading national staffing and employment agency explains the skills critical to building a high-performance team that’s productive and successful today…and tomorrow.

5 Skills Your Workforce Needs in 2022

1. Technical skills

The sense of urgency to improve employees’ technical skills has never been greater. Skills related to operational analyses, sciences of all types, programming, and systems evaluation are becoming increasingly important.

2. Critical thinking

Find ways to develop your employees’ ability to deftly analyze and evaluate issues to reach sound conclusions or judgments. As you grow your team, look for people who are capable of flexible thinking and viewing problems from many different perspectives.

3. Emotional intelligence

Defined as the ability to interpret others’ emotions correctly, while also understanding, controlling, and expressing one’s own emotions. EQ is critical to resolving conflict and maintaining healthy workplace relationships. When hiring, look for evidence that candidates: are attuned to the needs and feelings of others, have a high level of self-awareness, have intense concentration abilities, and trust their intuition.

4. Complex problem-solving

As the nature of work becomes more complex, so do the problems that come with it. Explore ways to build your team’s skills in coordinating disparate facts and opinions, persevering in the face of uncertainty, and considering nontraditional paths to solve convoluted challenges.

5. Creativity

The ability to use one’s imagination will remain essential to solving problems, generating novel ideas, visualizing the future, and driving innovation. While technology will continue to automate a greater range of tasks, humans’ creativity will ultimately determine the deployment of those tools. As you plan training for the year ahead, consider ways to help employees keep their creative spark alive.

Need highly skilled temporary associates or employees?

As a leading national staffing service, PrideStaff can quickly deliver high performers with the right skills, experience, and work ethic to thrive in your organization in 2022 and beyond. To learn more, contact your local PrideStaff office today.