UiPath study assesses how COVID-19 impacts technology implemented and the future of jobs
UiPath announced the findings of Forrester Consulting's funded report on behalf of UiPath: The Future of Work: A Pandemic Focus. This research found that businesses gradually use RPA and other smart automation technology to adapt to emerging business challenges and consumer conditions arising from the pandemic. At the same time, they also feel the human-centered approach to the future of the job is essential.
Forrester carried out an international survey of 160 process automation decision-makers from industry associations, traditional utilities, finances, and other market sectors throughout France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States in May 2020 (at the height of the crisis). The survey findings revealed the pandemic:
Expedited technology transitions and expanded software spending. During recent months, the planet has undergone more technological change than in the past five years. Intelligent automation systems, including RPA, help and intensify this boom. With 48% of survey respondents expecting to increase RPA investment in the next year, businesses leverage RPA to:
- Improve mobility, flexibility, and durability in supply chain processes (83%)
- Fix unprecedented expenses by automating back-office and operating activities (80%)
- Help remote workers (75%)
They have enhanced the need for people-centered workers. Automation is essential to resolve post-pandemic economic issues but requires an employee-sensitive approach. Fifty-seven percent of respondents report that their workers feel mildly or extremely nervous about their ability to excel in their employment due to technology and pandemic stress. As a result, businesses must have digital training and updating tools so that staff has the resources to flourish in the future of work and optimize the value of technology innovation. Sixty percent of decision-makers decided that offering workforce certifications for transferable digital and computer skills would help their workers deal with possible technology consequences and train them for the future of work. Organizations continue to improve post-pandemic workplace engagement by delivering training resources and tracking employee safety.
"The pandemic flipped the world upside down, and the shock intensified the march of corporations into the future of jobs. Automation is a powerful opportunity for companies to accept this growing way of operating. It's time to simplify, "said Tom Clancy, SVP UiPath Training. "More than ever, digital skills are required. To increase engagement and efficiency, it is the duty of employers to provide technical training, especially automation training, as part of professional growth programs."
