Businesses told to brace for future workforce

CEBU, Philippines — Businesses must get ready for the future workforce amid the rapid changes in artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies.

In a teleconference yesterday, JP Palpallatoc, managing director of Accenture Philippines, said technological disruptors such as AI and virtual reality technologies calls for companies to "upscale and rescale" their people.

"This is a call to action for companies to get their people ready for the future jobs," Palpallatoc said after he presented Accenture's Technology Vision 2018 which predicts key technology trends likely to disrupt business over the next three years.

He said that while AI may result to the elimination of jobs in the future, this will also pave way for the creation of new jobs.

"Jobs will be eliminated but new jobs will also be created. We need to be ready for these jobs to be created," the Accenture executive said.

Palpallatoc noted that current jobs need to be redefined to adopt to the technological advancements.

"(It's being) prepared for the job creation and redefinition," the executive said.

He said this is also key to optimize the human-machine collaboration.

Accenture recently launched is latest report Reworking the Revolution which looks at how intelligent technology will intersect with human ingenuity to create the future workforce.

Accenture noted businesses must prepare their workforce for a future where human-machine collaboration is commonplace.

"If businesses are to fill all the positions needed for the reconfigured, AI-enabled future workforce, then they will need to find new ways of training employees," read a blog by Payal Vasudeva on scaling up new skilling to optimize human-machine collaboration.

"These 'New Skilling' programs must be rapid, flexible, tailored and large-scale to maximize the value humans and machines can create together.

"Flexibility is essential: while executives currently see resource management, leadership and communication skills as the most important for their organizations over the next five years, who knows how this will develop as AI develops and human workers take on new roles? As a principle, however, businesses should assume that increasingly intelligent machines and more highly skilled humans will become the norm, and will drive swifter and more compelling innovation by enabling each other to do more complex and creative work," Vasudeva said.

Meanwhile, in its Tech Vision 2018 report Accenture noted the five technology trends that are upping the game and allowing companies to tap into the powerful potential of intelligent enterprise, creating new business opportunities and helping to change the world as we know it. These are citizen AI, extended reality, data veracity, frictionless business and Internet of thinking.

"Leading companies are improving the way we live with new products and services that will become indispensable in the future," Accenture said.

"Business is getting personal. Leaders must shift their mindsets and business models to focus on forging strong, trusted relationships with partners, customers, employees, governments, and more," the company also noted.

"Technology is embedded in everything we do, improving the ways we live, work, and experience the world. But there’s a larger transformation at play–a shift beyond digital into in era where tech is built into every single interaction. Accenture’s 2018 Tech Vision digs into the IT trends that are rapidly reshaping not just daily life, but society as a whole, and allowing businesses in every industry to reimagine what’s possible.

"Disruption courtesy of emerging technologies is nothing new, in fact, we predicted it. But this latest transformation is unique. For the first time, the change is a two-way street. People aren’t just using products and services, but feeding information and access back to them. To deliver integrated innovation, companies need a profound level of insight into people’s lives. For intelligent enterprise, this level of connection—and this degree of trust—require a new type of relationship. It’s not just business. It’s personal. And it’s how leaders will redefine their company based on the company they keep," Accenture further said. (FREEMAN)