Just as COVID-19 caused unexpected disruptions in our ability to forecast the weather, so too have prognostications about the future of the labor market become harder and harder to make with confidence.
by Matt Sigelman, Lisa Lewin
January 4, 2022
Six years ago, we first identified the rise of a new category of jobs which we called “hybrid jobs.” Back then, hybrid wasn’t about mixing time spent in the office with working remotely. Instead, as we describe in our report, Blurring Lines, hybrid is a set of jobs that “combine programming skills and ‘offline skills’ such as analysis, design, or marketing.” We predicted that such jobs would become increasingly important in a labor market that, back then, already felt like it was changing faster than ever.
Looking back is a reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In 2015, we predicted that the rise of hybrid jobs would result in a “talent shortage” and heightened competition among employers. We anticipated the geographical expansion of hybrid jobs as digital skills became increasingly prevalent in new industries. We noted that the traditional higher education system was ill-equipped to meet the needs of employers as the pace of change continued to accelerate.
Since then, the world has changed in fundamental and unpredictable ways. But the digital transformation of the economy has not slowed down — if anything, it’s done the opposite.
Last summer, we released a new report examining the evolution of digital skills across a range of industries and occupations. We found that the vast majority of job postings in industries like retail (83 percent) or occupations like marketing (a staggering 100 percent) mention at least one digital skill. Data analysis is now king in operations roles, appearing in 18 percent of all postings; other data-related skills appear in 46 percent of all operations-related job postings. Almost all (95 percent) of postings in professional, scientific and technical services mention a digital skill.
While this shows digital skills are increasingly important, one of the most striking conclusions is that jobs aren’t becoming hyper-technical, they’re becoming more human as human and technical skills blend together in ways that are increasingly inseparable — and we’re still struggling to keep up.
In fact, the need for specific digital skills shouldn’t overshadow a broader need for non-digital skills (including both so-called “soft” skills like collaboration and business skills like project management). Half of all computer occupations, for example, also request at least some level of business skill. Too often, companies tend to pursue candidates with those specific tech skills at the expense of talented candidates who could succeed in the role with a small amount of training.
Since 2015, we’ve learned far more about the ways technology can amplify the biases and inequities that are so prevalent throughout American society. We’re paying renewed attention to the systemic injustices that have kept so many workers from pursuing and achieving economic mobility. We’re acknowledging the fact that what feels like progress often comes at a cost. An exclusive focus on hiring those with specific technical skills could make those gaps worse instead of better.
How can the findings of this report help to address those challenges? Here are three lessons we learned in the course of our research.
Core skills versus amplifiers. As the rise of hybrid jobs continues to blur the lines between technical and non-technical roles, it will become harder to distinguish when tech skills are “core” to a certain function (e.g., mandatory Salesforce expertise for a marketing leader) or simply amplify that function (e.g., data analysis that can make a salesperson more effective). Employers should pay close attention to which skills are “needed” versus “wanted” for each role, and consider creating such a breakdown in job postings to differentiate between these two types of digital skill.
Unlikely partners. Our research uncovered some similarities that may surprise readers, such as the significant overlaps — and similar digital skill profiles — of marketing and operations roles. That’s another reminder that hiring based on a “kitchen sink” job posting can often cut out qualified candidates. Instead, consider how existing employees, with a fairly limited investment in re- and upskilling, could fill critical roles that require similar skill sets to those they already possess?
Training. Too often, companies tend to zero in on candidates with specific tech skills at the expense of talented candidates who could succeed in the role with a small amount of training. As hybrid jobs become ever more ubiquitous in a range of industries, employers will need to shift their hiring paradigms — to focus on hiring effective communicators and collaborators and training them in digital skills, rather than the other way around.
Like a weather forecast, the digital talent forecast is not a prediction of the future. The pace of technological change is getting faster, and the pandemic is continuing to test the limits of our powers of prediction. Just as COVID-19 caused unexpected disruptions in our ability to forecast the weather, so too have prognostications about the future of the labor market become harder and harder to make with confidence.
One thing that’s certain is that it’s easier to plan for the future, and pivot as needed, than it is to make decisions from scratch. Understanding the changes in the labor market — both their nature and their trajectory — gives us a basis for planning ahead. To prepare for a future where hybrid jobs are likely to be an increasingly important feature, business leaders and talent decision-makers need to start building a more flexible and resilient workforce. That workforce will need both the human skills to apply judgment, to collaborate, and to make pivots — and the technical skills to leverage increasingly advanced technology in a way that delivers success for employers and workers alike.
