The challenge is talent orientation.
By Roberto Jiménez – Director, Axpe Consulting
Year after year, the media publish studies on the most in-demand jobs. In these rankings, technology-related roles consistently appear, with job titles evolving over time: AS400 Administrator, SAP FICO Consultant, Oracle DBA, Java Developer, ATG Developer, Salesforce Marketing Cloud Architect, Data Engineer, Product Owner, Data Scientist, IoT Specialist, and so on.
Technology has become a cornerstone of our society and business fabric, enabling the launch of new business models or optimizing existing ones when used effectively, or conversely, becoming an insurmountable barrier to innovation when organizations are not adequately prepared.
The application of technology is transforming society’s labor needs, replacing jobs with manual, administrative, or operational functions with roles in design, programming, configuration, or the maintenance of information systems:
- Back-office teams (or the BPOs that were meant to replace them) are making way for the implementation of RPA or AI algorithms.
- Field support technicians may require less specialization thanks to the use of Augmented Reality.
- Physical branches and retail stores are changing in number and function due to the emergence of e-commerce platforms and mobile applications.
In Spain, and in Western Europe as well, there is a significant shortage of students in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics); in some countries, such as Germany, the deficit is even greater. These students represent the primary talent pool for filling jobs related to these transformations.
In Spain, we are fortunate to have an open society with a natural flair for creativity, a well-established social order, and world-class public services—including education. It is the responsibility of society as a whole—central public institutions, educational centers, the media, families, etc.—to encourage our teenagers to increasingly focus on STEM areas. Although this path may initially seem steeper and more challenging, it will ultimately be the key for today’s youth to become tomorrow’s valued professionals, ensure quality employment, and enable our economy to export ideas and solutions.
The most in-demand jobs of tomorrow will undoubtedly have different acronyms than those of today and will correspond to titles we are not yet able to predict; however, it is certain that they will continue to be linked to technology and the implementation of information systems.
The challenge is talent orientation.