“ TECHNOLOGIES SPEED UP THE PROCESSES AND YOUR REACH, BUT THE ISSUE IS THE CONNECTIVITY BIT. YOU CAN’T AUTOMATE EVERYTHING; AT SOME POINT YOU STILL NEED A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE.”


MELINA JACOVOU, FOUNDER & CEO, PROPEL


their people to navigate. But the abundance of solutions also offers a huge opportunity.” Mobility experts discussed tech as a cost-effective


solution, and how tech is being used to tackle talent shortages. “Contact is going to be one of the biggest things


with the level of talent out there. In the next ten years, 260 million university graduates will enter the job market. For context, 260 million was about the number of the entire talent market in the 1990s – so growth is exponential. And those 260 million are not coming from ‘powerhouse’ markets, like the US, Europe, China and Japan. They are almost all from outside those areas. If that’s the case, how will we access them? Technology and automation allows access, but it also creates an overwhelming spam issue. We now need that balance to come through of having a really wide net, but also being specific and local at the same time. It’s a fine line to tread and one we’re still trying to work out,” explained Ash Rama, VP of people at Mention Me. In addition to reach, productivity and collaboration, tech is finding a significant place in connecting distributed


teams. But how can organisations ensure they don’t lose sight of what makes us human? “Technologies speed up the processes and your


reach, but the issue is the connectivity bit. You can’t automate everything; at some point you still need a human perspective,” added Jacovou. As people become more tech savvy, expectations


begin to rise too. “Then it becomes more about how positive their experience is using it, not just what it can do,” added Osborne. If that experience is poor, that has a negative impact on employees, which can trickle down into teams and the culture. Looking even further into the future, some panellists


discussed how developments in technology would spur the need for more talent. “Generative AI is going to be a game changer in the


next 18-21 months. If companies don’t get in the right talent, they’re just not going to succeed,” stated Anthony Petane, director of product at Localyze.


ON IMMIGRATION When it comes to immigration, there have been two key trends. “On the negative side, there have been countries being more protective and closing in on borders. But we also have to be mindful that immigration can have negative connotations, so we need to fix the way people talk and think about it and really highlight the positive examples and success stories on why movement is so important,” said Hanna Asmussen, CEO and co-founder of Localyze. “On the flip side, and I think this is the stronger


trend, we know from leading economists that the skills gap, innovation and talent all come from opening up our borders and have a positive impact on the net GDP of countries. There may well be a temporary five to ten-year trend where it’s challenging, but I think the 50-year picture will be positive and [we will] really see more borders opening up.” And, that’s because of a few reasons – simply


put, people want to move around. As a result of this, Asmussen said many companies are recruiting more internationally and are starting to put pressure on governments by lobbying for better immigration policies.


8


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94