Reimagine Talent and Upskilling
Randy Wolken, President & CEO

AI’s impact on talent and the skills needed for the future is massive. The technology’s potential to accelerate automation and transform operating models changes the roles and skills that organizations need. According to other McKinsey research, half of today’s work activities could be automated between 2030 and 2060, accelerating previous, pre-gen-AI projections by a decade. This puts pressure on all organizations to understand their talent and skill needs, and to create strategies to close skill gaps by investing in upskilling and reskilling.

The research shows that early adopters first prioritize talent and the human side of AI more than other companies. The survey shows that nearly two-thirds of companies have a clear view of their talent gaps and a strategy to close them, compared with just 25 percent of the experimenters. Early adopters focus heavily on upskilling and reskilling as a critical part of their talent strategies, as hiring alone will never be enough to close gaps, and excessive outsourcing can hinder strategic skills development. Finally, 40 percent of early adopter respondents say their organizations provide extensive support to encourage employee adoption, versus 9 percent of experimenter respondents.

All companies must have a unique talent strategy to develop their critical skills once they have joined their organization. Growing talent must take precedent over simply hiring new talent with all the skills. Every iteration of technology implementation requires new learning and skills. This is true for all levels of an organization. Senior leaders will need to learn new ways of organizing and leading. Mid-level leaders will have to manage in an ever-increasing automated future. Individuals will have to continue to upskill. It will take the entire company to stay ahead of what is happening now and what is coming.

At MACNY, we are committed to helping you prepare for such a future. We have a growing team of experts who can help you with your training needs, upskilling approaches, and structured hiring growth paths such as pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programming. Learn more about our offerings at nysapprenticeship.org. You can also contact Amy Stage at [email protected] for more information or ideas on how to get started.

Finally, let us know what is working so we can pass it on to our hundreds of Central and Upstate New York MACNY members, and thousands of other Manufacturers Alliance companies and partners state-wide!