Tasmania might be sailing a wave of economic prosperity, but the state's workforce is missing the soft skills needed for the future of work, a new Deloitte report has found.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The path to prosperity: Why the future of work is human report found requirements for cognitive skills will continue to grow, while the need for manual skills drops.
Employment is growing fastest in jobs that cannot be automated easily, such as interpersonal and creative roles involving customer service, care for others and collaboration, Deloitte Australia Tasmanian managing partner Carl Harris said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"There has been a significant change in the type of work undertaken in Tasmania over the past 20 years, in the form of a shift from manual to more cognitive work, and also from routine to non-routine roles," Mr Harris said.
"Some 7500 new jobs have been created over the past decade, with many of these in health care and social assistance. But skill sets are not necessarily keeping pace with this workforce transition, and it has not been a consistent picture across the state."
Deloitte predicts that by 2030 the five greatest skills shortages will be customer service, organisation and time management, health, digital literacy and leadership.
"Business leaders will have to make active choices, and just buying skills won't be enough. They will have to adopt an investment frame of mind, and train them," Mr Harris said.
The report dispels three common myths around the future of work: robots will take jobs, people will have lots of jobs throughout their careers and people will no longer work in offices, author David Rumbens said.
"We say there's no need to be scared, and that businesses need to be brave, not afraid. These myths aren't just wrong, they're potentially damaging if we allow them to take hold and lead to our making the wrong choices," Mr Rumbens said.
"Tasmania doesn't face a dystopian future of rising unemployment, aimless career paths and empty offices. Yes, technology is driving change in the way we work, and the work we do, but it's ultimately not a substitute for people."
While you're with us, did you know you can now sign up to receive updates direct to your inbox?