'SKILLS of the future,' 'Digital-ready leadership skills,' 'Upskilling and reskilling in the digital era' - these are just some titles of the articles I wrote before the pandemic. My treatise was that with the advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution and the amalgamation of its various digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), employees, workers and professionals need to acquire and develop certain skills to make themselves relevant in the workplace of the future. It was my urgent call to action.

Now, these skills are more urgent than ever. The pandemic accelerated the trends driving the evolving skill requirements in today's workplace. With workers forced to work from home and economies slowing down, the nature of work and the skills required by companies are likewise shifting drastically.