Public sector agencies must adopt emerging technologies – including machine learning, artificial intelligence, and biometrics – to attract and retain more technically adept employees, a new report from Accenture recommends. It said this is critical to addressing a widening skills gap and strong competition from a better financed private sector. According to the report, "Emerging Technologies in Public Service," the need to attract technically proficient employees is becoming even more urgent as the existing workforce continues to age, creating an irrevocable loss of institutional knowledge unless action is taken now. The report emphasized that hiring and developing people with the necessary skills, including the need for emerging technology specialists, is one of the top three challenges across all industries and countries today," the report noted. "The very concept of work is being redefined as different generations enter and exit the workforce in a rapidly changing technological landscape," said Terry Hemken, who leads Accenture's Health & Public Service Analytics Insights for Government business. "Government leaders must make every effort to reskill their people to be relevant in the future and ready to adapt to change." Survey respondents said emerging technologies will augment existing roles rather than replace them. Automating tasks, whether through artificial intelligence, machine learning or other technologies, frees up employees to focus on activities that are more critical and more closely aligned with citizen needs, according to the research. In fact, eight in 10 respondents said that implementing emerging technologies will improve job satisfaction and can aid staff retention, partly by automating certain repetitive tasks and making others more aligned with citizens' direct needs. Nearly 60 percent of respondents also said that being able to implement projects using emerging technologies would require significant investment in reskilling existing staff. "Responsive and responsible leaders must ensure that their people are relevant and adaptable to keep pace with technology," Hemken said. "Creating the future workforce now is the responsibility of the very highest levels of an organization.