Employablitiy In The Digital World

Author : TRIDIB BHATTACHARJEEMarch 17, 2018

The Digital Age is now upon us, which is significantly changing our life, health, education and business models. On the business front, Enterprises are becoming Digital. Governments are launching initiatives to digitize citizen services. Education systems are offering learning solutions on digital platforms. We are now well and truly entering into a phase of human existence where our quality of life in many cases will be dependent on this ever evolving digital ecosystem.

In a digitally connected world, logical geographical boundaries that separated organizations and industries no longer exist. By analyzing available data, competitors can quickly evaluate strengths and weaknesses and move ahead. Industries and enterprises are hence increasingly becoming Digital in order to remain competitive and profitable. An organization in today’s world must also be agile. Various groups within an organization are supposed to collaborate and effectively communicate in order to be more effective. Productivity of an organization is directly dependent on the level of collaboration and communication that happen among its employees. Hence most medium and large enterprises in almost all sectors have already embarked on the Digital Transformation journey. Interestingly, it has also become one of the most important board room discussion topics. Focused strategies, programs and governance mechanisms are being deployed to build digital infrastructure, enhance employee capabilities, align culture and automate operations and business processes. From technology & innovation standpoints, digital enterprises are being shaped by Social Media, Mobility, Business Analytics and Cloud infrastructure (SMAC). New automation technologies, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, machine learning are also supporting the Digital Enterprise infrastructure.

Digital Transformation is significantly impacting the job industry and current employment scenario. It is also completely redefining the concept of employability. There are many reports and articles that explain how automation and digital technologies are making significant number of jobs obsolete. Currently most of the entry-level IT programming and testing jobs are getting automated. This impact will only increase over time as enterprises strive for higher efficiency, productivity and growth. Moreover, organizations that face cost pressures will continue to reduce workforce. Consequently, employees in the ‘low efficiency’, ‘low productivity’ and ‘insufficient skills’ bracketsare increasingly at risk of losing their jobs. Many mid and senior level managers are also facing serious crises in the short and medium time-frames. These professionals will have to upgrade their domain skills and ‘digital fluency’ in order to future-proof themselves. Otherwise in the long term the crisis will be even more severe for them. News on employee lay-offs in various industries are coming out almost on a daily basis now.

In the current scenario, it has become imperative for the workforce of the future to be digitally enabled, vibrant, connected and be an integral part of the organization’s Digital Business Ecosystem. As per a survey, 77% of IT & Business executives in 2016 agreed that in 10 years, the skills and knowledge in their organizations will have little resemblance to today’s scenario. It is extremely important for every student and young professional to note this point and create their skill development plans accordingly. The key is to follow services and technology trends and prepare accordingly. In the present scenario, machine learning technology is much important to the IT sector as it is to the manufacturing sector. Borders around industries are gradually getting blurred.

In conclusion, digital disruption is transforming industries and creating opportunities for employees, customers and partners, at a scale never witnessed before. Industry 4.0 is a prime example. Hence digital transformation must be viewed from a positive angle and the workforce (present and future) must understand the shift that is taking place. They should also quickly analyze their existing skill gaps and enhance their domain and digital capabilities. They must strive to become Digital Champions or Digital Leaders in their respective fields. It will then be easier to connect to the amazing range of opportunities and possibilities that a Digital Enterprise offers. The success we all want to achieve in the digital world is now truly in our hands.