In addition to training and upskilling, businesses can develop their capacity for sophisticated skills-matching. For example, administrative support workers are especially at risk of elimination over the next five years, according to research from ServiceNow and Pearson. By identifying the types of digital skills these workers have, they can be matched with new roles. In this case, administrative support workers have transferrable skills that will make them good system administrators, according to this research.

However, skills-matching is complicated, requiring significant time and resources. “In a lot of organizations, nobody truly takes ownership of skills management,” says Burns. “The need for a single owner, or a chief skills officer, is becoming more apparent each day.”

The same automated tools that are driving the need for skills matching can also augment the process. AI and machine learning can quickly parse the types of roles likely to disappear in the near future and match employees with the training they need to advance.

Beyond automation, companies are looking for creative ways to expand the pool to include underrepresented talent. For example, talent programs like RiseUp with ServiceNow are designed to train the next generation of workers while filling the talent gap.

“The exciting part is that the demand created by emerging technologies like GenAI is creating new pathways into tech,” explains Regan Morehouse. “RiseUp with ServiceNow is all about widening access to meaningful technology careers by delivering those in-demand skills.”

These are the same principles that businesses used to survive the pandemic, says Burns. “Organizations were able to save a large portion of their employee base by reskilling,” she says. “If we can do that in the short-term during times of crisis, [who’s] to say we shouldn’t be doing it in the long run?”