McKinsey & Company highlight the profound structural shifts that are underway in the UK workforce. Here’s how companies can prepare to meet the challenge and nurture the skills and talent that will help them stay competitive.
The adoption of automation, along with technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things, is likely to unleash profound structural shifts in the UK workforce - which will be amplified by other mega-trends such as the ageing population. As a result, demand for occupations such as managers, technology specialists and health professionals could rise by nearly 20 percent by 2030, while demand for administrative and manual roles could decline just as steeply.
McKinsey’s research shows that UK companies will need to respond to these threats by transitioning up to a third of their workforces into new roles or skill levels over the next decade. If they fail to meet this challenge, they could find themselves with even more acute shortages of talent than today. These potential talent shortages will not only be among technology specialists and engineers but also among the managers needed to lead change and upskill teams, especially in customer-facing service roles. By 2030 two thirds of the UK workforce could be lacking in basic digital skills, while more than 10 million people could be underskilled in leadership, communication and decision making.