Some jobs are becoming obsolete as advances in technology, automation and artificial intelligence transform the business world.

That presents challenges for company leaders and individual employees. However, there are things they can do to survive and thrive in the evolving digital workplace landscape. Upskilling is key.

“It’s about skills not jobs, most people are taking a skills view,” said Bhushan Sethi, PwC’s joint global leader, people and organisation. He and two Bermuda-based colleagues shared a few pointers on the way ahead.

Having the right core skills — also referred to as soft skills — is important. Mr Sethi described these as the ability to learn new technology, the ability to communicate and have conversations, and the ability to collaborate with other people in different departments and time zones.

In addition, there is no getting away from the need for digital skills, he said.

“Those are the skills of understanding what technology can do, what you can do with data and tell stories about your product, your client, your people,” Mr Sethi said.

“Not everyone is going to have to learn to code, but everyone is going to have to understand the power of technology, and the tools and data sets to improve their jobs.”

Call centre representatives on a telephone may be obliterated by new technology, such as chatbots. But that does not mean that the role of operations or customer services has gone, according to Mr Sethi.

Similarly, specific roles such as in clerical, administrative, and HR are going to be impacted and possibly transformed.

Felicia Steffen and Alastair McNeish, PwC Bermuda’s people and organisation leaders, also spoke on the subject.

Ms Steffen said: “It’s not that jobs are going to go away, it’s that all jobs are going to require technical, digital aptitude. People who hold those jobs need to be willing to learn and understand that technology piece; you have to be adaptable.”

Mr McNeish mentioned a survey that showed 50 per cent of financial services roles will be impacted to the point that a significant part of those operations needs to be upskilled and rebalanced.

So, should companies be the ones taking the responsibility for retraining staff, or should it be up to the individual?

Mr Sethi said: “Companies realise in very tight labour markets you have to upskill. You can’t hire your way out of this.

“Corporations are taking a lead, but individuals also have an insatiable desire to learn.”

He referred to research by PwC that showed many employees, if encouraged by their company, would be willing to spend 15 hours a month of their own time learning “new stuff”.

Mr McNeish said: “Perhaps we should be looking for a public-private investment on a regional basis to upskill people, because there is certainly a societal pressure to make sure you have a workforce that is ready for the future.”

Another issue is the arrival of the younger generation who tend to place higher value on social-environmental issues and work-life balance, and this is reflected in whether they see a company or organisation as a desirable place to work, or not.

Companies doing well in attracting younger people are very clear about what they stand for, said Mr Sethi.

Businesses have to be clear on where they stand on the environment and big society issues like poverty, diversity, ethical violations, and how they embed that in every decision they make.

Mr Sethi added: “It started with the millennials, who said we want to work with the companies who have similar values to our own, but it then allowed the rest of us to say we also want to work with some of these responsible companies, and maybe we will forgo a little bit of salary for longevity, sustainability — whether it is the environment or less layoffs.

“The big challenge is, you can’t say one thing and do another.”

Bermudian-based companies are doing a pretty good job in social responsibility, said Ms Steffen.

“They are doing projects where they are cleaning up the parks, and going out and doing those types of activities — and if those align with the needs of millennials that’s a great way to attract them, because they are doing what they say. They are not only investing funds [in these activities], they are allowing employees time to do those things,” she said.

Workload and working hours is an issue in some larger corporations that have significantly cut their workforce, according to Mr Sethi. “Many of them are trying to transform their business and run their business as usual, and it is a real strain on their people. It manifests itself in absenteeism, some companies have had corporate suicides, and substance abuse — real bad outcomes for companies and societies,” he said.

When asked what will happen if increasing digitalisation and automation shrinks the staffing requirements, resulting in people not having jobs and therefore not having the money to pay for many products and services, Mr Sethi said: “That’s a scenario — that there is not enough work for the workforce, whether it is in a country or globally.

“A potential response could be that you reduce working hours. France has mandates on working hours, and there is talk of it in the UK and US.”

He said you could also introduce more compressed work schedules and job-sharing.

He added: “This is a prediction: in advanced economies that have a good track record of innovation and attracting good talent, like the US, I don’t think that will be the case. I think there will be enough work and enough businesses that get created, that there will be enough work for those that are willing to work and have the right skills.

“It’s not in the interest of businesses to have huge civil unrest and thousands of people unemployed when you are trying to sell goods and services, and it’s not in the government’s interests.”

Mr Sethi was in Bermuda as a guest speaker at the Bermuda Human Resources Association Conference, held at the Fairmont Southampton.

When asked what message he hoped the audience would take from his presentation, he said it was that there is no prediction or linear path that we are going to go on with regards to the change from a “analogue” to a digitally skilled workforce.

In addition, he said it was an opportunity to engage in the conversation, and for the human resource leaders at the conference who are putting together their HR programmes, to think about their company’s hiring, and about advising their colleagues.

He said it was about starting to see questions, such as: “It’s great that we are investing in technology, [but] where’s the training? How are we going to measure success? Have we thought about people on a compressed schedules or using gig-economy or contingent workers?”

He added: “It is just being able to ask the question. In doing that, they elevate their role and naturally upskill themselves.”