In With the NEW COLLAR

NEW FORMS OF WORK REQUIRE A NEW TYPE OF WORKER WRITTEN BY: DAMIEN MARTIN

- DAMIEN MARTIN

When the pace of technology - and the skills needed to run it smoothly - change so quickly, it's time to reimagine the workforce powering such innovations. The once-clear line between white-collar and blue-collar work has blurred. In view of this, organizations that depend on digital need to alter their hiring practices and recruit for these new-collar jobs. The term, coined by former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, aims to emphasize skills and continuous training over four-year college degrees.

SKILLS FIRST

When job postings require a four-year degree, they right off the bat eliminate a large portion of the talent pool. While a degree can certainly indicate a level of specialized training and critical thinking skills, there can be many reasons a candidate doesn't have one. They might have all the same skills as a college graduate but not the finances to go. And given how quickly technology changes, even a recent college graduate might not have learned the skills a job requires. A few years ago, almost no job listings mentioned AI. Now, generative AI skills are in high demand and lucrative.

THE CEO PUSH AND THE HR PUSH ARE IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S THE MANAGERS WHO ARE GOING TO CREATE SUSTAINABILITY WHEN THEY SEE THAT THEY CAN BRING THIS TALENT IN AND DO GREAT WORK.
GREG CASE, CEO OF AON