At the 2024 HR Tech conference, Mercer's Ravin Jesuthasan delivered an opening keynote on the evolving nature of the global workforce, emphasizing that skills will be the currency of work in the future.

After his keynote, Jesuthasan sat down with HR Executive's HR Tech Editor Jill Barth for an exclusive video interview. He noted that there has been so much discussion about the importance of skills that it has led some to peg the topic as overhyped. However, Jesuthasan's 15 years of research suggest otherwise. "Skills aren't new, but what we're seeing are the conditions that have made them incredibly pivotal to this next generation of work," he said.

Jesuthasan highlighted another common misconception HR must dispel to bolster skills-based initiatives: Organizations must choose between a job-based approach and a skills-based one. He clarified that these concepts are not mutually exclusive. Instead, he said, companies can use jobs as structures that encompass skills, allowing for more granular work assignments and broader opportunities.