Voice technology could create a skills gap in the UK

Experis has predicted that voice technology could transform every aspect of a business if these skills meet demands. This was found through the Experis Industry Insiders report. Through this report, they examined the influence and impact of voice technologies.

The quarterly report delves into the latest trends that are driving employers to think differently about their talent management strategies. The key takeaway from this report was that “The voice technology talent pool is still in its early stages of development, mostly made up of individuals who have just recently completed their education. As a result, businesses would be wise to include talent with transferable skills in their search for talent” 

Although voice technology is still in its early stages, it is still predicted to grow exponentially within the next five to seven years.  (with current estimates ranging from 17.2% – 19.8% CAGR). It is said that the induction of voice technology could aid employees in developing their brand. As they say in the report. “Letting the world know that you have embraced voice technology will attract a more forward-thinking quality of candidate who is interested in pursuing an AI-related career. At the same time, it is also important to offer training that will enable them to develop the functional skills needed to create tools that will engage different types of users.” It was also stated that organisations that are able to blend the capabilities of their staff, along with emerging technologies, are the ones that will be the most successful in the future.  

However, although this may be exciting news for employees in terms on advancements and attracting new talent, the report suggests that this increase in demand for voice technology could potentially lead to a lack of skill in this industry.  

Martin Ewings, Director of Specialist Markets, Experis, comments: “While voice technology has been around in the consumer world for the past few years, enterprise adoption will be the next major focus for organisations. It will impact every technology interface and could transform the employee and customer experience. As a result, the available talent pool will soon be exhausted. Today, the top salaries for Technical Architects in voice technology are in line with similar roles in other technology disciplines. But these salaries will rise as candidate availability becomes stretched. Voice technology risks becoming the next big IT skills gap and a real barrier to innovation.” 

The voice technology talent pool of approximately 6,000 workers is already stretched with high demand and rising salaries topping £75,000. To meet this projected rise in demand for these new technologies, companies must be able to find staff who have transferable skills, as well as the ability to pick up new skills at short notice who can be cross-trained into voice technology.

Ewings continues to discuss how employers can address this problem, saying “Businesses need to get ahead of the potential talent shortage by targeting those with adjacent skills in coding languages like C, C++, Java, and PHP. Employers must look both within and beyond their businesses for talent and consider cross-training those with relevant coding skills to fill the anticipated void in voice technology talent.” 

In addition to this issue of lack of skill, it was also reported that there needs to be huge changes made in terms of gender balance. As in the report they state “Reflecting the overall IT space, there is a long way to go to improve the gender diversity amongst voice technology experts, with the field currently made up of 84% males and 16% females”  

This report is their first paper based on industry insights, as well as them taking a much closer look on the rise in voice technology in the UK, they also look at what this means for organisations looking to bring in the right staff, and how to develop their skills in the workplace.