An Education Needs Assessment of CARIFORUM Firms

Technological progress is also developing new industries and, in turn, new jobs. McKinsey &

Company (2021) identify seven cross-industry trends, which include: (i) next-level process

automation and visualization; (ii) future of connectivity; (iii) distributed infrastructure; (iv) next

generation computing; (v) applied artificial intelligence; (vi) future of programming and (vii) trust

architecture; and three industry-specific trends: (i) bio revolution; (ii) next-generation materials;

and (iii) future of clean technologies. Global IT services provider, Cognizant (2017), identifies 21

new job types that they expect to emerge within the next ten years. The most tech-centric include

Quantum Machine Learning Analyst, Master of Edge Computing, Augmented Reality Journey

Builder, Genetic Diversity Officer, AI-Assisted Healthcare Technician, Cyber City Analyst, Data

Detective, Chief Trust Officer, Financial Wellness Coach and Genomic Portfolio Director

(Cognizant 2017).

Skills demand in CARIFORUM states is already being shaped by technological progress.

Emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic is a regional thrust towards digital transformation,

evidenced by calls to accelerate the CARICOM Single ICT Space, the launch of the CARICOM

Digital Skills Taskforce, the World Bank-funded Caribbean Digital Transformation Project, which

has a digital skills and technology adoption component, and several national digital transformation

drives (OECS 2022a; CARICOM 2022a). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, visible engagements

with emerging technologies can be found primarily in the FinTech space with the launch of central

bank digital currency pilots in the Bahamas (Sand Dollar – now fully operational), the OECS

(DCash) and Jamaica (JAM-DEX). Initiatives like Tech Beach Retreat are also accelerating the

emergence of tech start-ups across the region, likely increasing the region’s interaction with

emerging technology solutions (CARICOM Today 2021).

Rising Importance of Soft Skills Amidst Technological Progress

Beyond tech-focused and hard skills, there is a growing demand in the future of work for uniquely

human skills that cannot be replicated by robots, computers, or machines (Lau 2021; UNCTAD

2018; McKinsey and Company 2022). Occupations requiring a higher degree of creativity,

innovation and sophisticated communication skills are less susceptible to digitization and

computerization (UNCTAD 2018). Based on Deloitte Access Economics forecasts, two-thirds of

all jobs will be soft-skill intensive by 2030 (Deloitte 2017). Chandy (2017) warns that narrow

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