7 trends in IT that could transform the Czech workplace

The dizzying pace of IT developments presents opportunities and risks for Czech businesses, from deploying artificial intelligence to finding skilled workers.

The impact of rapid IT developments on the world of work will be a defining issue in the years to come. Governments, businesses, and workers all face an urgent need to get to grips with unprecedented new technologies, and in doing so, they will enter uncharted territory.

The opportunities are so great that the world’s biggest companies are pouring eye-watering sums into developing software solutions that will transform working life in the years to come. In Czechia, it’s hoped this digital transformation will usher in a new era of growth.

Others are concerned about the potential impact of IT developments on society. Finding enough IT experts is already a pressing issue for many businesses, while there is uncertainty about the future of various white-collar and blue-collar jobs. The Manpower Group, one of the world’s largest employment agencies, has outlined seven key trends which are set to have a transformative effect on the world of work.

According to Manpower’s report, companies are realizing the enormous benefits of digital technology. So-called ‘Digital Twins’ are becoming increasingly popular among public and private enterprises; these virtual models of a physical asset, person, or process allow highly advanced simulations and forecasts. 70 percent of top business executives say they are exploring the creation of digital twins, and this market is expected to reach $48 billion by 2026.

That’s dwarfed, though, by the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry, which is forecast to grow from $3 trillion today to $10 trillion in 2030. The much-discussed Metaverse, meanwhile, has yet to become a major part of everyday life, but that could soon change. Metaverse technologies could reach 700 million users by 2030 as virtual reality, augmented reality, and workplace collaboration technologies become more sophisticated.

Newspapers have of late been full of discussions about the pros and cons of artificial intelligence. Machine learning, cognitive computing, natural language processing, and computer vision will all accelerate as organizations seek a competitive advantage, according to Manpower.

There is great excitement about the potential of AI, as shown by the sensation caused by OpenAI’s Chat GPT-4. But as Manpower points out, the full impact of AI in enabling new automation opportunities for tasks currently performed by humans is not yet known.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find aspects of modern life that aren’t affected by digitization. The Internet of Things (IoT), encompassing everyday products and devices with internet connectivity, is growing rapidly. The number of IoT devices in use around the world is expected to triple from 8.6 billion in 2019, to nearly 30 billion in 2030.

In Czechia, this shift is being facilitated by the switch to 5G mobile networks, which enhance IoT performance in both consumer and business spheres. According to Manpower, the expanding IoT could render some jobs redundant due to increased automation, while demand for solutions architects and IoT product engineers will increase.

Unsurprisingly, given the centrality of IT solutions to modern business life, a global shortage of skilled IT workers is an increasing problem. According to Manpower, 68 percent of business executives describe their organization’s IT skills gap as “moderate to extreme.”

Perhaps for this reason, attempts to democratize IT activity are gathering steam. Low-code or no-code software development tools use intuitive graphics to hand greater control to people with little or no coding experience. It’s thought that by 2025, such technologies could account for over 70 percent of all software development.

In this context, however, demand for quality assurance professionals will grow rapidly, with the software testing market forecast to boom between now and 2030.

A huge variety of businesses incorporate Cloud computing into their processes, and as Manpower points out, there is a growing skills gap in the Cloud market, too. 70 percent of chief information officers (CIOs) cite a skills gap when it comes to Cloud technology and claim this gap is having a severe effect on their business.

This, according to Manpower, will result in sustained demand for IT professionals trained in the major Cloud services, which are produced by Amazon, Google, and Microsoft: Amazon Web Services, Azure, and Google Cloud.

When it comes to modern security for individuals, businesses, and public sector administration, cyberspace is of paramount importance. High-profile cyber attacks take place on a regular basis and according to Manpower, scaling up cybersecurity capabilities is now top of the agenda for many business leaders.

Given the pressing need to boost cybersecurity systems in the face of more advanced threats, the workforce gap in the sector is particularly concerning. Worldwide, the cybersecurity workforce gap grew 26 percent to 3.4 million in 2022. For global HR leaders, plugging this gap is a key priority.

The skills gap in dedicated IT jobs is growing, but technological change puts the survival of some work traditionally performed by humans in question.

This includes blue-collar jobs, with automation in factories and warehouses set to significantly ramp up. Manpower says many companies are looking “to automate repetitive processes and find opportunities to create unique value for their customers.” The global robotics market is projected to grow from about $25 billion in 2021 to between $160 and $260 billion by 2030.

White-collar workers could be even more strongly impacted by this change, with professional services robots expected to account for around $170 million of the total robotics market share by 2030, compared to $80 billion for robots in logistics and manufacturing. For companies both large and small, automation could herald a new era of efficiency, with predicted operational cost savings of up to 30 percent by 2024 and total business savings of $55 billion a year expected by 2025.

Manpower points out that in this context, there will be an “increased need for upskilling and reskilling of workers displaced by automation.” Combined with the workforce shortage in critical IT sectors, this raises the possibility of a widespread shift from traditional white-collar jobs to more IT-oriented work.

As businesses and workers grapple with the growing power of technology, it’s clear that the changes to the ways in which we work will be profound.