A new study shows that 78% of employers forecast it will be more challenging to find qualified professionals in the coming five years, despite 68% of the population holding a qualification.
According to the survey of 620 hiring managers in Australia by specialised recruiter Robert Half, the top three skills managers will look for in candidates to successfully lead a company into the digital future are technical know-how (57%), delegating decision making processes (53%) and communication skills (52%).
“Higher academic qualifications are no longer the primary pathway for those entering the workforce to achieve their career goals,” Andrew Morris, Director of Robert Half said.
“Given the rate at which technology evolves, the skills and knowledge required to fulfil a role successfully are changing at a greater rate than traditional university courses can adapt to so holding formal qualifications is becoming a less relevant indicator of a candidate’s suitability for a job.”
Some universities are responding
In an attempt to get ahead of the curve, some universities have been diversifying their course offerings to students.
In August, Bond University recently launched a new suite of degrees that have been described as “revolutionary”.
“We listened to our industry partners who told us that there were new and emerging jobs that existing degrees did not provide the strongest preparation for,” Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) Keitha Dunstan told The Educator.
“We are also well aware that we are in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution where the digital world and the physical world are merging with an unprecedented rate of change.”
Dunstan said Bond University’s ‘Transformation CoLab’ provides a virtual space that “cultivates enduring partnerships between students, staff, industry and the community”.
Growing need for strategic thinkers
Robert Half’s survey found that while 39% of Australian managers believe strategic thinking will be the most in-demand soft skill over the next three years, it will also be the most challenging to find, as indicated by 34% of leaders.
This was followed by leadership skills, with 35% of business leaders considering it an in-demand skillset and 33% acknowledging it will be hard to find.
“For those looking to enter the employment market, being able to demonstrate sound analytical, problem-solving and decision-making capabilities which underpin strong strategic thought alongside practical leadership experience means having a meaningful point of differentiation from competing candidates which can help to drive career progression and salary growth,” Morris said.