Technology has become a common feature in workplaces across the world, and it has been developed in ways that can make life easier for businesses globally. Not only can technology help to make the day-to-day running of many businesses much easier, but it can also be used to close the widening skills gaps that have become more vast due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, here is everything that you need to know about technology and the influence that it may have both now and in the future on the skills gaps that are affecting many businesses.
Are there global skills gaps?
There are global skills gaps in many industries across the globe. The industries that the skills gap is most prominent in include technology, nursing, manufacturing, engineering, and finance. These skills gaps are set to widen and increase, with many more industries heading toward skills gaps within the next ten years.
Many factors are currently causing these skills gaps to occur in a great number of industries. For instance, the healthcare industry faces an aging workforce, with fewer young people now entering the profession than in previous years. Not only this, but the pressures of the pandemic have left many nurses and healthcare professionals to experience burnout.
Other industries are facing issues because it can take years of training to enter certain specialisms and because the pandemic has put a halt to many of the top training programs around the world. Skills gaps can also be caused by poor training opportunities within a company, with many businesses focusing on employing candidates who already have the required skills rather than on training up new employees.
Is technology making the issue worse?
However, technology has also widened the skills gap, with jobs in the tech sector being largely unfilled. Not only this but developing technology has made it difficult for firms in many industries to find candidates for previously manual jobs due to the requirement for some digital knowledge. This is made worse since technology is constantly changing, meaning that many candidates find that their knowledge and skills are out of date almost as soon as they learn them, especially since the training programs for these can take many years to complete.
However, the negative impact that technology has had on the skills gaps that many industries are facing is less than the benefits that modern technology has on the skills gaps that have been evident in many industries for many years.
How can technology help to close the skills gaps?
Technology can help to close the skills gaps that are present in many industries due to the development of online courses. Online courses can make it viable for more people to take courses that they would previously not have had the time and commitment for. These courses can be taken from any location and completed at any time of the day or night, making them perfect for carers, parents, or working professionals, as there is no need for career-minded students to relocate to the campus of the university or college in question to take these courses. For instance, at Baylor University, they offer online ABSN programs which can allow people who have previously trained in another sector to take their first steps into nursing regardless of their situation. This means that nursing can be seen as a potential career option by more people at any stage of their lives.
Technology can also help to close skills gaps as immersive and engaging training programs can be developed. Employers are now starting to use augmented and virtual reality to recreate working situations, allowing individuals to get a better understanding of their future workplace without having to be in one themselves. This ensures that new recruits can get the training and experience that they need in a safe environment that focuses on developing practical skills and which can allow individuals to practice their skills in a hands-on manner that can set them up for the future.
How is it reducing employee shortages?
Technology is also helping to reduce employee shortages in certain sectors. This is because employers are now starting to advertise open positions online, where their target audience will spend the most time. For instance, employers are using email and social media campaigns to target the recruits they are looking for, especially in getting more young people on board with their business. Not only can this method of recruitment encourage more candidates to come forward, but it also has the potential to allow employers to follow stats and highlight the areas of their HR process that they need to improve.
Employers are now also starting to use HR and recruiting software. These can close the skills gap within their company by allowing them to filter candidates more effectively according to the keywords they are looking for, ensuring that they will always find the right individual for a certain position. Not only this, but HR software can also make the onboarding process easier, ensuring that candidates have the skills and talent that they need before they start to work for the brand in question.
Not only this, but posting adverts on online job boards allows businesses to connect with a broader range of candidates by making it easier for them to apply for jobs with their company without the frustrations of a complex and long application process. This means that they could attract skilled employees who may not have otherwise applied for jobs at their firm.
Technology has impacted the skills gap that many industries are struggling with because it can easily provide training opportunities to those who may have previously been barred from them, allowing more people to go into the specialisms that they want to. Although developing technology has also widened the skills gap in many industries, technology can help employers to find the right, skilled candidates for the job in question, helping businesses to close the skills gap on a smaller scale.
