But many employees lack sought-after skills
A majority of people leaders across the world are starting to evaluate employees based on skill, citing its impact on retention and diversity, according to a new report.
Salesforce data revealed that 82% of people leaders believe that skills-based experience is highly important when evaluating candidates.
It comes as 98% believe that shifting to skills-based hiring provides business benefits that include:
- Talent retention (56%)
- Increased workforce diversity (48%)
- Knowledge sharing (46%)
Source: Salesforce
Skills-based hiring is a growing workplace trend that experts say could widen employers' talent pools and help fill job vacancies.
Digital skills in demand
According to the report, two in five people leaders name digital skills as the most important candidate attribute, saying that it has a positive impact on:
- Increasing productivity (47%)
- Better team performance (43%)
- Improved problem-solving skills (40%)
They added that in the wake of AI and automation, the following skills will grow more important in the workplace:
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- Data security skills (60%)
- Ethical AI and automation skills (58%)
- Programming skills (57%)
Soft skills will also be more important, such as imaginative skills (56%), customer relationship skills (53%), and leadership skills (51%).
Digital skills lag in workforce
However, the report also discovered that the workforce has yet to catch up with evolving skills, particularly on generative AI, looked for by candidates.
Four in five employees said they use digital skills in their daily work, but only a few of them said they have skills beyond collaboration technology, digital administration, and digital project management.
Only one in 10 of the respondents said they use AI in their day-to-day activities, according to the report. It also found that only 14% said their role needs skills such as encryption and cyber security, while a smaller 13% claim to use coding and app development skills.
The findings indicate that upskilling will likely be a necessity in the future, as also predicted by various organisations in the wake of AI and automation.
Salesforce's report also revealed that 97% of global workers believe businesses should prioritise AI skills in developing them, as about 60% said they feel excited of using generative AI for work.
The report surveyed a total of 11,035 working adults across 11 countries, including Australia, Singapore, USA, India, among others.