Organisations can expect to see a rise in the use of technology, a renewed focus on wellbeing and mental health, and a greater emphasis placed on workplace initiatives relating to environmentalism, activism and representation.

 

Additionally, Millennials and Gen Z will play a more active role in shaping the future of work, predicted to account for 75% of the workforce by 2030; a sizeable increase from its current rate of 38%, says data from a new research undertaken by The Talent Enterprise, the global assessment technology company headquartered in the UAE.

 

The research, which will be revealed in a dedicated research paper, titled, ‘Future of Work: Predictions for the GCC from 2023 to 2030’ outlines five major shifts the workforce can expect this decade. The paper is co-written by the two founders of The Talent Enterprise, Radhika Punshi and David Jones. 

 

Five shifts

The five shifts are fuelled by key demographic transitions and accelerated by technological advances, economic and socio-cultural changes experienced across the GCC. These include:

Virtualisation: Defined as digital natives, Millennials and Gen Z are accustomed to technology in education, training and work settings. In the coming years, young employees will see an acceleration in the adoption of technology in sectors like customer service, financial services, education, healthcare and more. To support efficiency and productivity in the workplace, there will also be a rise in the use of Extended Reality (XR), which includes augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR).

Humanisation: The pandemic has resulted in many individuals placing greater importance on wellbeing. Employees are starting to make decisions around their careers based on personal wellbeing and mental health provisions. As more organisations embrace a hybrid/remote working model to balance, this theme will remain in the spotlight. 

Environmentalism: When deciding where to build careers, younger employees view an organisation’s environmental stance as a non-negotiable professional commitment, a perspective that was not as predominant in previous decades. As a result, a growing number of companies will have to, if they have not yet already, institute robust Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) policies that outline specific carbon neutrality / net zero goals in order to attract youth talent.

Activism: The younger workforce will continue to drive change, while focusing on the triple bottom line (Profit, Planet and People). There will also be a rise in impact-led startups and enterprises that maintain a purpose driven ethos and are entrepreneurial/innovative.

Representation: As expatriates in the permanent workforce become less common in the GCC, there has been a steady rise in the national workforce with more women and youth participating across all levels, including technical and technological roles. Thanks to specific reforms and better educational attainments in countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, representation of women in leadership and decision making roles will continue to make progress regionally and globally.

 

Future workplaces

David Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of The Talent Enterprise with a background in labour market economics, said: “The GCC region and countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are at the forefront globally, preparing for future workplaces. These countries are setting up the regulatory and legal framework ahead of many other places globally in order to provide infrastructure support in these areas, particularly FinTech and digital currencies.” 

 

The latest data from The Talent Enterprise also shared the Top 10 Emerging Roles in the region over the next decade: 

*Urban Agriculturalists and Food Security Scientists

*Air and Water Conservation Scientists, Ecosystem Restorationists, Waste Engineers

*Epidemiologists and Public Health Specialists 

*Biomanufacturing Specialists 

*Epigenetic Scientists and Nanotechnologists 

*Blockchain Engineers, Cloud Computing Scientists, VR and AR Specialists 

*AI Ethicists and Metaverse Safety Specialists 

*Digital Currency Managers and ‘Cryptocurrency’ Wealth Managers 

*Wellbeing Scientists, Mental Health Coaches, Behavioural Change Specialists, Learning Optimisers 

*Vision Realisation Consultants

 

Speed of learning

“Our speed of learning (and unlearning) will need to be faster than the speed at which things are changing,” says Radhika Punshi, Co-Founder and Managing Director, The Talent Enterprise and leading occupational psychologist. 

 

“In the past, there was talk about skills being the currency of the future. However, with rapid changes in roles and acceleration of technology, the real valuable currency is people. If you have the right person with the right attributes, they can be upskilled, reskilled and deployed in different sectors.”

 

Additionally, The Talent Enterprise research highlighted the most in-demand skills for the decade, including Wellbeing and Selfcare; Digital Fluency, Empathy and Inclusion. Digital Citizenship, which refers to the responsible use of technology, which will also be a popular skill for future employees with the rise and development of the metaverse and other online platforms for education and work.

 

The findings are revealed within a dedicated position paper titled ‘Future of Work: Predictions for the GCC Workplace from 2023 to 2030’, co-written by Punshi and Jones. The paper offers further insights into the significant employment trends, top emerging roles and in-demand skills for the region this decade.-- TradeArabia News Service