BANGALORE: In a constantly changing globally connected world, people are living longer, and computers are taking over.  Because of these changes, the workforce is changing at an exceptional rate. Earlier, people used to start working right out of school and stayed in the same job until retirement.  Now the average is 3-5 years, before moving on to another job that may be in an entirely different field.

As a result of all these changes, the skills needed to have a successful career are also changing. The important work skills needed in 2020 are quite different than the skills that led to a successful career in previous decades. Employees will need to have critical thinking skills and be competent in learning new cultures.

Let’s have a look at some of the important skills required for the future workplace:

1. Sense making skills

It is an ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed. While computers can automate certain tasks or jobs, they can't perform reasoned analysis, which is where humans excel.

 As smart machines take over routine manufacturing and service jobs, there will be an increasing demand for the kinds of skills that remain difficult for machines to perform. We call these higher-level thinking skills that cannot yet be codified sense-making. These skills help us create unique insights that are critical to decision making.