Disruptive technologies, from artificial intelligence to virtual reality, have the potential to transform the world of work. Many roles and skills are becoming outdated or evolving in our machine age. 

Workforce transformation represents an opportunity for HR leaders to deliver solutions to help drive competitive advantages for their business.

Since HR is integrated with every functional group, HR leaders have a holistic view of the organisation and are positioned to lead the conversation on workplace evolution and transformation, according to our most recent global research.

• Technology company CEOs acknowledge that the effectiveness of certain key teams remains less-than-optimal, but many still do not have broad reskilling initiatives planned.
• Almost 70 percent of tech company HR executives recognize the need for workforce transformation but only 50 percent have a plan in place.
• Capacity, culture, and capability are considered the top barriers to transformation.
• Several critical skills for technology sector HR executives to master are identified.
• Millennials are the most optimistic on the impact transformative technologies will have on developing an inclusive and diverse workforce over the next three years.
• In terms of implementing artificial intelligence (AI), HR leaders worldwide in the technology sector state they are ahead of the curve, with 55 percent reporting they have already started to introduce AI (compared to only 36 percent of their cross-industry peers).
• HR leaders say their primary roles with AI integration are change management and workforce training.
• Technology company leaders and workers are generally optimistic about the impact AI will have on job creation, with HR executives being the exception.

The seismic shift driven by AI poses wider questions for both society and governments. And for companies and their leaders, it means that the skills that companies need, and the way employees learn and progress in their careers, are being transformed. CEOs are having to embrace a new way of thinking about talent, workforce strategy, and the need for upskilling. 

In our recent CEO Outlook Survey 2019, only 10 percent of Irish CEOs said that they have implemented AI in automating some of their processes, with a quarter (26 percent) at pilot stage and two thirds (64 percent) at only a limited implementation.

CEOs recognise that this trend is accelerating and requires them to focus. Worldwide, four in ten (44 percent) are intending to upskill more than half of their current workforces, a strategy reflected in both the Republic of Ireland (50 percent) and Northern Ireland (52 percent)

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