Snap
Survey Results www.phoenix.edu/institute
Asleep at the Wheel: Are College Students and Employers Ready for the Jobs of the Future? Exhausted from a persistent economic crisis, college students and employers may be caught sleeping at the wheel when it comes to understanding the changing nature of work and preparing for future jobs. A March 2011 study sponsored by the University of Phoenix Research Institute and conducted by the nonprofit research group Institute for the Future predicted major “disruptive shifts” in the U.S. economy that will significantly reshape the workforce skills required in the next decade. Despite projected changes, many students and employers believe the skills needed to be successful in the future will not change. The University of Phoenix Research Institute surveyed over 2,500 degree-seeking students and employers across industries. Results indicate misperceptions and lack of action may lead students and employers down the wrong road—leaving U.S. organizations at a competitive disadvantage.
EMERGING REALITIES Predicted Disruptive Forces • Extreme longevity • Rise of smart machines and systems • A computational world • New media ecology • Superstructured organizations • A globally connected world Source: Institute for the Future for University of Phoenix Research Institute. (2011). Future Work Skills 2020. Retrieved from http://www.phoenix.edu/research-institute
Anticipated Future Skills • Sense-making • Social intelligence • Novel and adaptive thinking • Cross-cultural competency • Computational thinking • New media literacy • Transdisciplinarity • Design mindset • Cognitive load management • Virtual collaboration
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SURVEY PARTICIPANT PERCEPTIONS (N = 2,500)
Today’s Skills
College Students • 75% believe workforce skills needed in 10 years to find a good job, keep a job, and be promoted will remain the same • 83% are taking personal responsibility to identify future skills they will need to find a good job, keep a job, and be promoted • 84% are taking personal responsibility to develop future skills they will need to find a good job, keep a job, and be promoted
Employers • 65% believe workforce skills needed to keep their company competitive will remain the same in the next 10 years • 37% are proactively identifying future skills needed to keep their company competitive • 41% are taking action to adapt workforce planning and development processes to ensure employees have the skills needed to keep the company competitive
IMPLICATIONS Misperceptions about the job skills required in the next decade have implications for individuals in higher education and industry: • With 75% of college students believing required workforce skills will remain the same in the next 10 years, they may enroll in the wrong degree programs and skill development opportunities and find themselves ill-prepared to secure and retain a good job. • With 65% of employers believing required workforce skills will remain the same, employers may offer outdated workforce development advice to educational institutions, which would compromise these institutions’ ability to promote a more developed workforce. • With only 37% of employers proactively determining future workforce skill needs and only 41% of employers taking action to update workforce planning and development processes, U.S. businesses risk hiring and developing workers with the wrong skill sets, which would reduce the ability of businesses to perform critical work activities, provide needed products and services, and sustain organizational and national competitiveness. Quarterly Snap Surveys measure public perceptions of 21st-century higher education topics to inform individuals, educators, and industry leaders about trends and emerging realities. Perceptions are the source of most knowledge, and they influence decisions. Understanding perceptions can help individuals make sound decisions based on accurate knowledge. To request additional information on Snap Survey results, contact us at institute@phoenix.edu