Companies digitising most are creating maximum jobs, says ManpowerGroup study

The COVID-19 pandemic has led companies to rapidly accelerate their digitisation plans, and the companies that are digitising the most, are creating the maximum jobs, a ManpowerGroup survey showed.

Releasing the study at the virtual Davos Agenda Summit, the global workforce solutions major said "Renew, reskill, and redeploy" are three key trends that have emerged in its new research on the impact of COVID-19 on digitisation and skills.

The survey of over 26,000 employers in more than 40 countries found that organisations are accelerating their digitisation as a result of the pandemic — 38 percent are speeding up, while just 17 percent have put plans on hold.

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It also showed that employers are digitising plan to increase or maintain their headcount. Nearly 86 percent of those that have accelerated digitisation will add roles, compared to just 11 percent of employers who plan to reduce or hold their automation plans.

The impact of the pandemic on digitisation differs significantly around the world. Employers in Germany, Austria, Japan, and Italy report automation has accelerated most as the result of COVID-19, while those in the US, the UK, and France are least likely to have sped up digitisation.

Organisations that are digitising most are also planning significant increases in HR headcount — a shift from 2018 when HR headcount was predicted by most employers to see no growth.

"Our research reinforces that digital transformation is occurring at an accelerating pace," said Jonas Prising, Chairman and CEO, ManpowerGroup.

"Today, technology breakthroughs are driving mass vaccination programmes, workforce transformation, and flexibility, plus a call for the better work-life blend, more upskilling, and greater autonomy over how, when, and where work gets done," Prising said.

One year into the pandemic, the world is seeing the emergence of a K-shaped recovery, where some industries and people are bouncing back faster and better while others are at risk of falling further behind, ManpowerGroup said.

Helping people to upskill and reskill for in-demand roles remains a defining challenge of this decade, Prising said.