Seeing the future Viewpoint careers advice blog

Seeing the future Why every HR team needs to focus on digital skills We all live in a digital world, and whether we like it or not, most of us work in digital jobs. From chairmen assessing the threat of cyber-crime to social media marketers looking for the latest trending platforms, digital strategy is growing in importance, and digital skills along with it. Add these to the need for digital literacy at all levels â€" to communicate with colleagues and customers, crunch data and stay informed ‘24-7’ â€" and we have the makings of a revolution. While the digital revolution hasn’t yet been as socially disruptive as the industrial revolution, its reach is impossible to ignore. The digital world has afforded us all the benefits of rapid technological advancements, making it possible for businesses such as Hays to reach candidates instantly from across the globe, and compare hundreds of thousands of résumés in an instant. But such advances can only be made with the skills to support them. The challenge for businesses to find and continue to develop those skills is something we look at in our cover story this issue. And, in our feature on HR data, we explore how well-equipped personnel functions are making use of the resources they now have at their disposal. Of all the great success stories in the digital sphere, few can compare to Facebook. In a little over a decade, the social network has exploded and today contains a written record of the lives of more than two billion individuals. It is an example of data on a truly monumental scale. But for those behind Facebook, ensuring that the business can adequately reflect such an enormous and diverse selection of humanity is a daily challenge. The demographics of talent in technology simply do not reflect those of the wider world, and rectifying that is the daily challenge of Maxine Williams, Facebook’s Global Head of Diversity. In our leadership profile in the Hays Journal Issue 8,  we ask her how she is approaching it. Demographic shifts and the talent challenges they throw up are another consistent theme in this issue, as we explore how Chinese businesses are balancing the large costs associated with returning executives with the constant difficulties in retaining them, and how a mismatch in many talent markets is driving up wage pressures around the world. We also look at how ageing workforces could affect businesses â€" or even whole industries â€" if education programmes and entry-level recruitment are ignored. With older workers retaining their roles in highly skilled industries, the potential for this to inhibit recruitment at lower levels may have repercussions in future skills shortages â€" something the UK’s North Sea oil and gas industry found to its cost. In the eighth issue of the Hays Journal, we are, then, very much looking ahead, and there is a great deal  to look forward to. Around the globe, economies are improving, recruitment is positive and we  are clearly entering an exciting market for new, highly skilled roles. And, thanks to the ongoing  Digital Revolution, quite which roles they will be is something yet to be discovered. View the full article from issue 8 of our bi-annual publication the Hays Journal, providing global insights into the world of work. You can view the article in the  Hays Journal online, via the Hays Journal iPad app or request a printed copy from  haysjournal@hays.com Engage with fellow HR professionals across the globe and stay up to date with the latest HR news, by joining our LinkedIn group. Join the conversation