The litmus test for employees on whether they are future-ready is their ability to remove impediments to positive changes, prepare themselves for all plausible scenarios, and shift from being a custodian of current realities to being a creator of new possibilities ("Job outlook remains gloomy: Analysts"; Oct 28).

Employees have to constantly ask themselves: How can we future-proof our mindsets, knowledge, skills and behaviours to survive and succeed in an ever-changing and fast-moving world?

Staying ahead in their careers begins with deep personal changes, including an unrelenting discipline to let go of the past and a desire to learn and improve.

For their lives and the world around them to be better, they have to become better at contributing to their workplaces and marketplaces.

In the process of changing, they must continue to preserve and enhance their self-esteem, self-reliance and self-efficacy, including their confidence, capacity, capability and courage to be a nett value contributor.

To retool themselves, they must improve their passion for learning and ability to learn how to learn.

They have to develop what is known as 21st century skills or skills that are in demand in a wide range of jobs and working environments.

These are also skills that can be used to develop new and better mindsets, knowledge, expertise and behaviours.

These skills include critical thinking skills, intrapreneurial skills, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, and self-directed improvement skills.

Employees should proactively monitor trends and look out for new opportunities to offer their talents and services.

They should identify gaps that cannot be fulfilled or be adequately fulfilled by other workers, systems and technologies, and add value to these gaps in order to develop a more stable, secure and sustainable career, workflow and contribution.

The world will continue to change, but there are values that will always be needed and appreciated, and will contribute to job security.

Patrick Liew Siow Gian (Dr)