According to an IBM survey, more than 120 million global workers will need retrained in the next three years due to the impact AI (artificial intelligence) is having on jobs.
Modern workers require more training than ever to close the skills gap - 36 days in comparison with three days in 2014, again according to IBM’s survey.
It also notes that employers today are calling for more emphasis on soft skills like communication, teamwork, empathy, ethics and creativity rather than technical skills; a switch from the last few years.
“Reskilling for technical skills is typically driven by structured education with a defined objective with a clear start and end,” stated Amy Wright, IBM’s managing director for talent. “Building behavioural skill takes more time and is more complex.”
Bloomberg writes that these behavioural skills are best developed through experience rather than structured learning programmes like a webinar.
Advancements in AI are expected to not only displace jobs but also create new ones, as industries will need employees to service, programme and work with the robotics.
The challenge will be upskilling workers to fill the new jobs. IBM states several ways to close the skills gap include hiring talent from other countries, from outside the organisation and moving employees across divisions.
More findings from the IBM survey suggest an estimated 50.3 million Chinese workers may require retraining as a result of intelligent automation over the next three years, followed by 11.5 million in America and 7.2 million in Brazil. Japan and Germany round out the top five countries with 4.9 million and 2.9 million workers, respectively.
Some 1.5 million people in England are at high risk of losing their jobs to automation, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
