A time to reskill
Naturally, the introduction of machines to the workforce has ramifications for human workers’ skills. As Figure 7 shows, the top valued skills will increasingly be tilted toward very human capabilities that validate the need for human-machine collaboration: decision-making, customer care, communication and analytical work.
Top skills will require human-machine collaboration
Respondents were asked which skills were becoming more important today than previously, now and in 2023. (Percent of respondents)
Base: 287 senior banking and financial services executives Source: Cognizant Center for the Future of Work Figure 7
Both decision making and communication will surge in importance by 2023 (decision making moving from second to first place, and communication from sixth to third). These skills are best performed when workers are supported by the insights generated by AI and data analytics, and freed by intelligent automation from performing rote and repetitive work. When banks pair the right technology with the right human skills, they can unlock new performance thresholds. (To learn more, read our report, “Humans + Machines: Mastering the Future of Work Economy.”)