In the last few years, the American workforce has been whipped up into a panic over the prospect of automation. However, Fast Company has reported on various surveys that assure readers most people will not, in fact, lose their jobs to robots (but parts of their jobs may be automated ). In my experience as a futurist, and while researching a new book, Humanity Works, I’ve identified the issue we should be preparing for instead: how employees can develop the skills to serve as effective members of human/machine hybrid teams, and how they can work alongside the technology that will infiltrate aspects of every job in every industry.

The rise of applied technology skills

Once upon a time, a professional didn’t need to know anything about technology unless he or she worked for an IT firm or in an IT department. Now, however, all workers must be able to use available technology to sharpen their skills in critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving. They need to draw inferences from a variety of data sources, understand overall digital infrastructure and how it can drive process efficiency and improvement, and be familiar with technology interfaces and how to effectively collaborate with machines.

My research organization, the Career Advisory Board, which was established by DeVry University in 2010, has identified these abilities as applied technology skills (ATS). In other words, these are skills that integrate people, processes, data, and devices to understand how new technologies can effectively inform business strategy and react to unanticipated shifts in direction. Data analysis is an example of a highly desirable applied tech skill that has become essential in every industry and function.

RELATED: Demand for these skills will rise dramatically by 2030

For our recent technology skills gap research, the Career Advisory Board asked hiring managers, human resource professionals, and C-suite executives to reflect on the importance of ATS as well as the challenges they face in recruiting and retaining tech-savvy talent. Sixty-nine percent of survey respondents agreed with this statement: “When I interview a prospective candidate, the presence of applied technology skills and experience is a competitive differentiator.” And, the desire for leaders to have these skills is even greater: 76% of managers who hire senior-level candidates agreed.

Although our respondents reported that some areas require ATS more than others (half said operations and administration functions are most in need of them, followed by customer relations at 39%, and sales and business development at 36%), most respondents said that employees at large need to understand how to best use and integrate software systems to maximize business value.

Identifying ATS

Unfortunately, ATS are not always easy to come by in the American workforce. For one thing, most current professionals did not receive instruction in ATS from traditional education paths unless they focused on information technology. Technology is also evolving more quickly than in the past, so skill acquisition can’t happen all at once and must be sustained over a long period of time–and that can get expensive.