The Impact of COVID-19 on Labour Tasks and Job Design

It is a reality that COVID-19 has accelerated the trend of labour tasks and the design of types of jobs. From automation to the inclusion of robotics, we have moved to a new design, which is how we make our businesses more digital. Contacting our customers digitally, online sales stores, and interacting with our customers in real time will necessarily generate demand for startups to help fill in the gap.

The Need for Speed: Quickers’ Role in Rapid Digital Transformation

This might mean that projects initially calculated to be developed in two or three years now have to be made operational quickly and cost-effectively in two or three months: exactly the time we manage to build Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) at Quickers.

What Does This Mean for Companies?

Robotic automation, hardware, software, and accelerated digitization have pushed 98% of companies to reconsider several professional tasks to be transferred to technological options.

Digital Mindset and Restructuring

• 45% of Companies: Think they will need to restructure their companies to gain a digital mindset.
• Layoffs and Technological Reliance: Around 45% of companies consider that they will have to lay off part of their staff because they will not be able to adjust to these new needs and also that these companies plan to rely on other companies with a more developed technology.

Job Creation and Market Penetration

• 34% of Companies: Think about generating new jobs and recruiting new staff because this new technology will allow them to be more efficient and to penetrate and reposition in the new business market.

Sectoral Impact and Preparedness

There will be sectors that the new situation will affect more than others. That is why we must be prepared for this change. Companies have to face the fear of a cultural change rather than a technological one. We have to talk about transformation rather than change, although it is true that this fourth industrial revolution is going at an unusual speed.

Technology Adoption by 2025

The table below shows the expected proportion of technologies to be adopted by companies by 2025. The trend is more pronounced in technological aspects of cloud computing, big data, and electronic commerce. In addition, there is a significant increase in cybersecurity, encryption, and artificial intelligence.

Job Market Expectations: 2021-2025

• 50% of Workers: Will be forced to regain new skills, some from scratch, with an average training time of about six months. This new knowledge will focus on new environments based on digitization, software, and digitization.
• 40% of Workers: Will find it easier since they will have the necessary knowledge base in the new business environment, but they will be forced to update or modify their skills.

AI, Big Data, and the Future of Sustainable Growth

There are sectors such as technology or industry where artificial intelligence or big data analysis play a decisive role in the future of corporations, with specialized development much more accelerated than in other fields that are more regulated, preventing the aforementioned digital change.

Optimism for the Future of Work

Jobs, in general, will remain the same, but new capacities will blur the lines between diverse disciplines and job activities. However, we must remain optimistic about the future of work globally. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025, 85 million jobs may be destroyed by this transformation, while 97 million new jobs are expected to be created. The challenge will be changing behaviors, where training plays a fundamental role in the new structures of companies.

Technology, Social, and Sustainable Development Reshaping Business

The business community faces a new business concept where the technological element, social, and sustainable development aspects are now a reality.  A new mentality is emerging in companies, highlighting the increase in green development policies, circular economy, and workforce training to avoid job losses. For example, in Spain, due to COVID-19, the ERTE (Temporary Employment Regulation Files) allowed companies to continue training employees during confinement.

The Challenge Ahead

The challenge for companies and societies in the medium-term scenario is decisive. Adopting the skills and opportunities to plan and develop strategies to improve the future of work in our countries will be crucial in the times to come.