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The Most In-Demand Jobs of the Post-Covid Era
31 de March de 2021
One year ago, around this time of the year, we were starting our very own home office — installing work tools such as Slack, Asana or Monday and learning how to use Zoom, Meets and other video calling apps. It was barely a week after we had started working from home but, even though no one could imagine what was about to come, we already knew that our way of working had changed forever.
Much has been discussed since then about how Covid-19 would transform the labour market. We’ve heard and read theories of every sort. Some said that working from home was going to become the rule and that office buildings were soon to become empty. Others, in turn, said that we were going to go back to the offices and to our normal lives —as if nothing had happened— once the pandemic was over.
One year has passed now and we have the first diagnosis based on scientific evidence to understand the impact that the pandemic has had on the labour market. EAE Business School, with the participation of the Spanish Association of HR Directors and Fundación Once’s Foro Inserta, have prepared the 2020 EPyCE Report on the Most In-Demand Skills and Job Positions.
One first glance at this document —that is based on a survey in which more than 200 HR directors participated— is enough to understand that those who predicted a deep transformation of the labour market were right. As pointed out by the director of this report, Pilar Llácer, besides the multiple questions flying around in these uncertain times, there are three absolute certainties: the future of employability will be digital, sustainable and it will require a constant ability to learn.
The proof is that Tech related positions —ranked 3rd place in the last edition of the report— are now on the top of the ranking, while positions related to the Commercial area —which have been at the top of the ranking since the first edition— have fallen to the 2nd place. The Account Manager position, that two years ago was at the top, now is in the 10th position and Data Science, which wasn’t even in the report until 2018, is now in the 2nd position, just above Computer Engineering.
Covid-19 isn’t just transforming the labour market, but it’s also redefining the leadership paradigm, as we can see in the chapter “Most In-Demand Skills Among Senior Profiles”. People at the top of the ranking for this new era won’t be needing hard skills as much as more cross sectional ones, such as resilience and adaptability, which are now at the core of the new leadership. Flexibility and adaptability in the face of change, teamwork and sustainable conflict resolution are among the top 10 more in demand skills.
But if we have learned something in these last 12 months is that, in order to succeed in this ever changing world, it’s crucial to anticipate events. That’s why we are going to take a look at the jobs that, according to HR directors, will be in highest demand in the coming years.
1. Blockchain Expert
The world of finance was the first to demand blockchain specialist services. But, now, this profession has grown because many sectors have started to integrate blockchains to their business. Its main function is to safely transfer digital data, allowing for the certified tracking of every transaction. This technology is taken into consideration for the digital transformation of almost every company.
2. Especialista en Machine Learning
Machine learning is a branch of AI that works on the way that machines learn to predict results and make their own decisions based on data. Forbes magazine has recently mentioned its 10 main applications: Data security, personal security, financial trading, healthcare, marketing personalisation, fraud detection, personalised recommendations, online search, natural language processing (NLP) and smart cars.
3. Health and Wellbeing Coordinator
This position will be the substitute for what has been known as labour risk prevention and it will play a crucial role in the future of companies. As Pilar Llácer pointed out during the report’s presentation: “We don’t know how the virus will advance, or if another one will appear. But we do know that homeworking is here to stay and the wellbeing coordinator will be essential, because the wellbeing of an employee that works from home is completely different from the wellbeing of employees working in an office”.
4. Waste Manager
The main function of the waste manager consists on the pick-up, transportation and treatment of waste. Generally, this activity is centred around the industrial sector because of their distance from urban centres, the high amount of waste or some special requirements. This position exposes another main trend that we’ve been seeing in the future of the labour market: the need to align the company strategies with the Sustainable Development Goals, whose 12th point calls for sustainable consumption and production.
5. Chatbots Manager
Chatbots are computer programmes designed to simulate conversations with people through the keyboard or using your voice. The fast improvement of AI software has brought about a big increase of chatbots use, whose applications are greatly valuable in areas such as customer service, purchase management and online payments — services that have collapsed during the past year.
6. Data and Privacy Ethics Expert
This position destroys a widely extended cliché, according to which every data related position requires a tech profile. The proliferation of predicting algorithms has spurred a heated ethical debate on the limits of its use, which in turn is increasing the demand for philosophy experts to guarantee a proper use of the clients’ data. According to the European Union, 3.5 millions of job positions in the cybersecurity sector will go unfilled this year in the continent due to a lack of profiles.
7. Mobility Solutions Expert
If homeworking is here to stay, workers’ mobility will undergo a deep transformation. Managing it efficiently and in a sustainable way is going to be one of the biggest challenges for companies and public administrations, because this new reality will also bring about big changes in cities.
8. Others, to be defined
It may strike you as odd. But it’s no surprise that among the top 10 we find a yet-to-be-defined position. Different studies have stated that 65% of the jobs of the future do not yet exist.
9. Internet of Things Architect
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of digital interconnection between devices, people and the internet that allows data exchange between them, making it easy to capture key information about devices and objects usage and performance in order to detect patterns, make recommendations, improve efficiency and create better experiences for users. According to Gartner, a consulting firm, in 2020 there were nearly 26 billions objects connected to the internet. IoT’s business volume grows around 17% annually according to IDC.
10. Personal Branding Consultant
The Personal Branding Consultant is a professional that is in charge of creating strategic models based on the personal brand and the client’s talent, with the goal of increasing it’s value and getting it to stand out in the labour environment in order to turn them into referents of their sector. This profession was already very important in the business world but, thanks to the importance that the new digital communication channels are gaining, it will become even more valuable.
As you can see, the menu is big and diverse. If you don’t know which way to go, we have some advice for you: if you are having doubts, go for those functions that, independently from the department or area of activity, have the word “digital” on them. One thing is clear: it will surely be in demand.