1 in 2 Romanians consider abilities in new technologies to be the top skills for the future

Between August and September 2021, Social Innovation Solutions (SIS), with the support of the market research agency IZI Data, conducted a survey on the skills and competencies of the future for the next 10-15 years.

To the question “what are the most important skills for the future?”, the respondents put the skills in new technologies on the 1st place, followed by adaptability and creativity. Digital skills and interpersonal communication and empathy ranked 4th and 5th.

At the same time, the need to adapt to a future in which uncertainty seems the only certainty is seen as one of the most important skills – being considered # 1 skill in the urban environment, compared to the national average.

“At the beginning of school, we asked 1,000 Romanians from urban and rural areas (representative sample), who I think are the most important skills for the future. We were glad to see the interest in both technology and entrepreneurship, among students, parents but especially young professionals. Adaptability and creativity become generally accepted values ​​in all socio-demographic segments. We continue, in preparation for the Future Summit conference on November 15-21, to detail the results of the study on Romanians’ perceptions of the future, of which this analysis is part,” said Ciprian Stănescu, SIS President.

“As a mother but also as a sociologist, I can see that the pandemic has taught us somewhat by force (students, parents and teachers) the importance of at least three of the top 5 skills [in the chart]. In the rhythm and inertia specific to the Romanian school before the pandemic, a significant change towards technology and adaptability would have been expected … probably until the irrelevance of the public system. The passivity of education has been quite shaken, and sometimes good things come out of it ”. said Silvia Luican, founder of IZI data.

Young people believe more in adaptability than those over 45 years old

However, the figures change according to age segments. If for young people between 25 and 34 years old adaptability is the most important skill for the next years, for people over 45 years old the skills in new technologies seem the most important. The difference may come more from different perspectives on the future of the career – entrepreneurial (young) and rather employee (45+) as well as from the fact that young people, category higher than 15-34, are much more accustomed to many of these new technologies.

What risks does the development of technology involve in the eyes of Romanians?

Asked about the risks that certain technologies of the future could bring, Romanians are the most worried when it comes to humanoid robots (50% of respondents). The 2nd and 3rd places are occupied by the loss of jobs through automation and artificial intelligence. And here the numbers differ from rural to urban. If respondents in cities are more afraid than those in rural areas of job automation (41% vs 33%), the latter consider to a greater extent that artificial intelligence (40% vs 31%) and loss of anonymity personal data (34% vs 27%) are more risky.