Research that data and analytics firm Qlik conducted on behalf of the Data Literacy Project came to the same conclusion as the chamber's report; 60% of Qlik's respondents said skills and experience are weightier than degrees in vetting STEM candidates. Only 18% of respondents gave degrees more weight in hiring.
In an era of talent shortages, requiring skills and experience over academic credentials means HR leaders may need to include training and upskilling in their plans to build and maintain a dynamic workforce for the future. A Gartner report concluded that with automation and digitalization rapidly changing skills requirements, HR professionals need to focus on skills development.
Researchers at MIT's Task Force on the Work of the Future said this can't be employers' sole focus; they concluded that just improving skills isn't enough to deal with the challenges automation presents. They argued that while the elimination of jobs by automation and digitization is exaggerated, the changes the technologies bring contribute to polarization between highly skilled and low-skilled workers and that, as a result, policies will be needed to build better careers to share in the prosperity.