Having skills but still risk losing your job
For many years, "skilled workers" have been considered the least affected by job market fluctuations.
Old skills are no longer a "safe shield
In the context of rapid and deep digital transformation as it is today, the advantage of skilled labor is gradually being eroded. Reality shows that many workers, despite having long-term skills and experience, do not have time to update new market requirements and still face the risk of losing their jobs, even being eliminated from the labor value chain.
Digital transformation not only changes technology, but also redefines the concept of "skills". Many skills once considered core in production and services are no longer sufficient to meet new job requirements. In many businesses, positions in accounting, human resources, operations, marketing... are being strongly restructured with the support of software, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.
It is worth mentioning that many workers in this group have 10-15 years of seniority, are familiar with manual processes, work based on accumulated experience, but are slow to adapt to new technologies. When businesses deploy human resource management software or apply AI in data analysis, workers who cannot keep up immediately become "bottlenecks" in the apparatus.
Ms. Ha Thi Trang Anh - human resources manager for a corporation in Bac Thang Long industrial park (Hanoi) said: "We are not sacking because workers are weak, but because their skills are no longer suitable. Businesses cannot return to the old way of doing things just because a part refuses to change.
According to Ms. Trang Anh, unlike the wave of general labor cuts due to automation, the risk of skilled labor comes from stagnation in learning and updating. In the context of technology changing in a very short cycle, skills if not constantly renewed will quickly become obsolete.
Many workers still have the mentality that "if you are skilled in your profession, you are not afraid of unemployment" or believe that long-term experience will compensate for the lack of technology. However, the current recruitment reality shows that businesses are increasingly prioritizing candidates who are able to learn quickly and adapt quickly rather than just relying on the number of years of experience. In many businesses, young workers with good digital skills, data thinking, and multi-platform work ability are gradually replacing the class of experienced workers who lack digital skills. This creates a paradox: the more experience, the fewer opportunities if they do not change," Ms. Trang Anh said.
Digital transformation is "raising standards" for labor skills
According to Mr. Phung The Tung - Human Resources Director of BBIM Group (Ba Dinh ward, Hanoi), digital transformation does not completely eliminate people but is raising skill standards in most positions. Today's workers not only need to "know how to work", but also need to "know how to work with technology".
Mr. Tung emphasized that the skills increasingly required by the market include: the ability to use digital tools, basic data analysis, system thinking, multitasking and lifelong learning. Even in manufacturing industries, technical labor also needs to understand automation, operating intelligent machines, reading data and coordinating with digital systems.
If not updated, skilled workers are very likely to fall into the situation of "one-way skills" - only doing a narrow part of the job well, while the market needs people with flexible adaptability," Mr. Tung said.
Mr. Le Quang Trung - former Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Employment said that the risk of job loss for skilled workers is not only a personal story but also reflects the profound shift in the labor market.
On the business side, internal retraining should be seen as a long-term strategy, instead of just recruiting new and eliminating old workers. Many businesses have begun to invest budgets in digital skills enhancement programs, retraining (reskilling) and upskilling for existing workers.
However, according to Mr. Trung, businesses cannot completely replace the responsibility of workers. In the new labor market, everyone is forced to consider studying as a lifelong process. Proactively learning digital skills, updating work trends, participating in short-term training courses, and in-depth certificates are no longer "choices", but conditions for survival.
Digital transformation is an irreversible trend. For workers, skills are no longer a "fixed asset" but a capital flow that must be continuously reinvested. Whoever stops, is at risk of being left behind - even if they used to be good workers," said Mr. Le Quang Trung.
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