Artificial Intelligence Transforms Job Specs.

• Position: DATA LITERACY

Business leaders and employees alike predict that data literacy--defined as the ability to read, work with, analyze, and communicate with data--will be the most in-demand skill by 2030, and 85% of executives believe it will become as vital in the future as the ability to use a computer is today, according to research from data analytics firm Qlik in partnership with The Future Labs.

Global employees surveyed report their use of data and its importance in decisionmaking has doubled over the past year, while 89% of executives now expect all team members to be able to explain how data has informed their decisions.

The demand for data skills reflects the significant shift in the workplace, due to the rise of Al. The enterprise leaders who took part in the study believe employee working practices will change to become more collaborative, with intelligent tools helping them make better decisions (84%) and become more productive (83%).

To realize its potential, 40% of C-level respondents predict their organization will hire a chief automation officer within the next three years, rising to above 99% within the next decade. Investment, however, cannot end at senior hires; those on the frontline need support during this transition, and 58% of employees surveyed believe that data literacy will help them stay relevant in their role with the growing use of Al.

'We often hear people talk about how employees need to understand how artificial intelligence will change how they complete their role but, more importantly, we need to be helping them develop the skills that enable them to add value to the output of these intelligent algorithms," says Elif Tutuk, vice president of Innovation & Design at Qlik. "Data literacy will be critical in extending workplace collaboration beyond human-to-human engagements, to employees augmenting machine intelligence with creativity and critical thinking."

The shift toward a more data-oriented and automated workplace creates a massive opportunity for those with data literacy...