Crack the Code: Your Blueprint to Learning Triumph in the Data Era!

Despite impressivie financial performance as well as an increasingly positive economic outlook, we are starting to see significant layoffs across many tech companies globally, these include the likes of Google, Twitch, Lazada, Amazon. But unlike layoff exercises in the past which were typically the result of poor financial performance, missing stock market expectations or poor economic conditions, this round of layoff appears to be different. There is increasing market consensus that this round of industry wide layoffs are due to the productivity improvements promised through AI; and commpanies are betting that they make do with fewer employees.

To put the current AI revolution into context, such layoffs due to new technology is not new. The world has undergone such changes and resultant layoffs at the inflection points of each industrial revolution; for example when factories switched from steam to electrical power, when computers facilitated the first generation of robots and automation and when the internet facilitated connectivity across people and organizations around the world. In each case, many jobs were lost during the course of each revolution, but also created entirely new jobs and even industries. In the last few industrial revolutions took more than one's working adult lifetime (assuming that one starts work at age 15 and retires by 65, that is about 50 years). The notable difference about the current industrial revolution is that it takes place only about 30 years since the last revolution or about halfway through one's working adult lifetime; and future revolutions are expected to be even shorter.

As such, organizations and the workforce have less time to adapt to the changes that the current and future industrial revolutions bring. While organizations can potentially outsource or automate the work and adapt quickly, but the workforce will face greater challenges.

Educational qualifications, skills and experiences will have shorter and shorter marketable shelf lives. As the rate of innovation increases, new platforms will quickly render existing technology platforms obsolete or at least less popular. As a consequence, a person's qualifications, skills and experiences will go through similar cycles with the demand for the associated platforms.
It takes time and effort for Humans to pick up new skills. Unlike previous generations who could rely on their qualifications, skills and experiences to build a lifelong career, the current generation will go through several rounds of re-invention and re-interpretation of their careers in their lifetime; where they unlearn current skills and relearn new skills that are more aligned with economic demands. With each re-interpretation some will find that they may have to start over again from the ground floor, at a lower pay or lower rung on the career ladder. In the meantime, they have bills and martgages to pay and children to raise.

Global organizations have warned about the impending AI driven layoffs well before we have seen it; and locan governments have encouraged and funded the reskilling and upskilling of their citizens in preparation for the AI revolution. Many governments have taken their upskilling roadmap from organizations like the World Economic Forum who regularly published their research findings on the top 10 in demand skills for the global economy.

Over the last 10 years of WEFs top 10 skills suggest that

People skills feature less and less, though Leadership and Social Influence is important for 2025
Self Management skills remain a relevant top skill, specifically, the ability to learn/relearn as well as Resilience; recognizing that change is a constant and will occur more often and quicker in the future
Technology skills was featured for the first time on the top 10 skills list in 2025; which recognizes the role that data, technology and AI plays in the future.
However, Problem Solving skills have remained a consistently crucial skill over the last 10 years; not only that, the specific skills have also remained the same, specifically Complex problem solving and Critical Thinking & Analysis. And FYT predicts that they will remain in demand in the AI future.

AI related skills have been the focus of many upskilling roadmaps, no doubt there will be ample demand for such skills and qualifications. However, there are also tradeoffs

Greater competition - Going with the crowd is comforting since you're not alone. But underdstand that there is much more competition and potentially harder to stand out from the crowd.
Limited shelf life - Data, technology and AI skills are usually based on the popular tools and platforms of the day; which are both ealier to teach and easier to learn and apply. Given the rate of innovation in the space, these news existing skills will become progressively obsolete and skills will need to be relearned on new platforms in time

Hidden Career Opportunities in more transferable Problem Solving Skills

Data, Technology and AI skills alone are not enough; which is why problem solving skills continue to feature prominently and are highly sought after even in the age of AI. The problem solving process is proven and well established and form the basis for the improvements the human civilization through history; from Medicine, Engineering, Sciences, Agriculture etc. In fact, most of the technical and quantitative areas of study (Science, Math, Engineering etc.) cover the topic but many don't get the opportunity to apply as a skill, unless they work in roles that require it (e.g. researchers, mathematicians, engineers, scientists etc.)

Problem solving skills are important in defining the right problems to solve and identifying the hypotheses for analysis. Only then can data, technology and AI skills be applied to conduct the analysis to prove or disprove each hypothesis. After which Problem solving skills are again required to interpret the outcomes into actionable options for informed decision making. It is not an easy skill to teach, much less apply; and it takes a slightly different flavour when applied in a world that is now drowning in data and technology.

For those who have been in the workforce for more than a decade, regardles of education, qualification or training, would have solved their share of problem at work often through trial and error. We, at FYT, feel that problem solving skills will continue to remain relevant today and in the future and remains a transferable skill even as technology evolves. And unlike the Tech platform related skills, would likely have a longer shelf life to build a career around.

If you are keen to pick up problem skills that are relevant and contextualized for the data age, check out our upcoming workshops.