By Syed Talha Masood, Forbes Technology Council

Self-driving cars were science fiction a few years ago, but most technologically advanced nations now have autonomous automobiles—making this once-impossible fantasy a reality.

Self-driving cars have conquered the automotive sector with significant expenditures and achievements but still need to scale due to many problems. The most prominent issue that stands out is rapid technological advancement and expertise.

The self-driving space works by the motto of autonomy, so why not recruit with the same vision and scale as the talent cloud by tapping into a large talent pool to be faster in the market?

Where The Self-Driving Space Is Heading

The self-driving space has been driven by various factors, including technological advancements, increased investment and changing consumer attitudes. As the industry continues to mature, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about transportation and mobility.

Here are some trends surrounding critical investments, consumer behavior and advancement when it comes to the rise of the autonomous vehicle industry.

• 26% of consumers have a favorable view of self-driving vehicles after Covid-19.
• The global autonomous vehicle industry is expanding by 16% annually.
• As of 2020, companies had spent roughly $16 billion on automated vehicles.
• Self-driving cars could reduce driving fatalities by 94%.

The Challenges Of Scaling And Talent Gap In The Self-Driving Space

Several tech and automobile organizations are working on their versions of autonomous driving technology to roll it out globally. However, expansion may need to accelerate because of a need for more skills to access local data. In short, there is space for more advancement and technology in the self-driving area that awaits a new wave of technology.

There is currently no fully autonomous car on the market produced by a commercial entity. However, given AI’s reliance on massive data, relocating will be easier than starting from scratch. All in all, the only solution for the scalability of the self-driving space is a talent pool that innovates.

The automotive sector is predicted to face a global shortage of 2.3 million skilled workers by 2025 and 4.3 million by 2030. The skills that are in high demand in the self-driving space include robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), software engineering, electrical and mechanical engineering, data analysis, cybersecurity and regulatory compliance

The self-driving industry is relatively new and highly competitive. As a result, the collection of people with experience in this field still needs to grow. This makes finding qualified candidates with the necessary skills and expertise to work on these complex systems time-consuming and challenging.

Moreover, it is highly competitive, with many companies vying for a limited pool of available talent. The competition drives up salaries and benefits, making it challenging for smaller companies to attract and retain top talent. Additionally, 80% of employers say they are having difficulty finding skilled workers, and 52% of recruiters say they are most interested in candidates with a STEM degree.

Successfully Transitioning To And Leveraging The Talent Cloud

The demand for new skills and expertise is increasing as the automotive industry evolves, which could make tapping into the talent cloud challenging. However, leveraging the talent cloud and keeping up with the pace of rapidly changing technology may seem more complicated than it is.

Here are some critical steps to ensure a smooth transition.

• Identify the skills and expertise needed to meet the company’s goals and objectives instead of just assessing the workforce. This can help AV makers target their talent acquisition efforts and attract the right talent from the talent cloud.
• Partnering with educational institutions and offering internships, apprenticeships or other training programs can help the AV industry build a pipeline of skilled and qualified talent.
• The talent cloud offers access to a vast talent pool. Leverage machine learning and AI-powered recruitment platforms to source and assess candidates.
• Consider offering flexible work arrangements such as remote work options, flexible hours or job-sharing. This can help attract top talent that values flexibility and work-life balance.
• AV industries must invest in their employees’ constant learning and development. Offer training, mentoring and coaching opportunities to help employees develop new skills and grow in their careers.
• Foster a culture of innovation where employees are encouraged to take risks, experiment and explore new ideas.
• Continuously monitor and assess the performance of their new hires from the talent cloud. It will help them identify areas for improvement and make any necessary adjustments to their talent management practices.

The self-driving space is heading toward significant growth, increased investment, changing consumer attitudes and technological advancements. However, the industry faces scaling challenges due to the requirement for more talent with the necessary expertise.

By adopting a holistic workforce strategy, the self-driving space can overcome these challenges and smoothly transition into the talent cloud, enabling it to innovate and scale faster in the market. The future of self-driving technology is bright, and with the right talent and expertise, we can revolutionize how we think about transportation and mobility.

By Matt Gonzales, SHRM

Traversing a big city like Washington, D.C., can be difficult for people with disabilities—just ask Amy Scherer.

Scherer, a senior staff attorney with the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), uses a wheelchair and has some visual limitations that prevent her from driving. While the District of Columbia has wheelchair-accessible cabs, their availability has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“Sometimes I have no choice but to work remotely simply because of transportation barriers, even though I live in a large, urban city,” she said. “I have had to miss both professional and personal engagements simply because the meeting location was not on the Metro line, and there were no available wheelchair-accessible cabs at that time. I literally had no other options.”

A lack of reliable transportation makes getting to and from work challenging for employees with disabilities. It has also served as a significant barrier to employment for many of them, contributing to an unemployment rate double that of individuals without disabilities.

However, a recent report suggested that the widespread availability of autonomous vehicles (AVs) could alleviate this ongoing issue, boost employment for people with disabilities and strengthen the broader economy.

The study, by the National Disability Institute (NDI), revealed that widely available, reliable and affordable self-driving cars would bring 9.2 million more workers into the workforce. This includes 4.4 million direct jobs for individuals with a disability.

The expansion of AVs, the study indicated, would generate nearly $93 billion in annual federal tax revenue—including new personal income tax, social security tax, excise tax and customs duties. It would also reduce federal spending by $27.8 billion, including reductions in spending from Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance programs due to increased wages for people with disabilities.

Thomas Foley, the NDI’s executive director, expressed excitement for the potential impact of the technology and how it could begin to eliminate a critical barrier to employment for millions of people with disabilities.

“Simply put, fully accessible and autonomous vehicles hold the promise to be a complete economic game-changer for millions of people with disabilities and their families,” he said.

How Have AVs Fared in Trial Runs?

The NDI study focused on Level 4 and Level 5 AVs. Level 4 vehicles are “self-driving” under most conditions, though a human can remotely operate the vehicle if necessary. Level 5 AVs do not require human attention and could be used by individuals with a disability regardless of whether they hold a driver’s license.

Manufacturing companies Cruise—a subsidiary of General Motors, which commissioned the study—and Waymo deploy several Level 4 robotaxis in San Francisco and Phoenix, although they are not customized specifically for people with disabilities. The current technology has had mixed results thus far.

GM and Cruise are designing a version of the taxi to serve people who use wheelchairs and those who otherwise need extra assistance. There is no timetable for their availability.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement, “Profitable, fully autonomous vehicles at scale are a long way off.”

Kenneth Shiotani, senior staff attorney for the NDRN, explained that the expansion of AVs has been “just around the corner” for many years, but several companies that manufacture AVs have gone out of business in the last year.

He added that “all or a very significant percentage” of Level 4 and Level 5 AVs would need to be accessible for individuals who use wheelchairs, like public transit buses are today, to employ millions more people with disabilities.

“If the supply of AVs was adequate, and if fares were modest, then I think one of the major barriers to employment [for people with disabilities] would be removed,” Shiotani said.

Further Development Needed

The NDI study noted that 38 states have passed legislation or have had executive orders enacted that permit AV testing, but many of these states still lack associated regulation for commercially deploying these vehicles.

GM has asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to raise the cap on the number of vehicles it can deploy.

“Policy adjustments are needed to further AV testing that will inform adoption and manufacturing at scale of these accessible transportation solutions,” Foley said.

Shiotani said employers could partner with AV transportation companies or transit agencies to help their own workers with disabilities travel to the office—much like how technology companies have provided luxury buses to their workers in Silicon Valley.

Organizations could also publicly advocate for AVs that are fully accessible to all passengers, especially people who use wheelchairs, he said.

“When Level 4 and 5 AVs become more ubiquitous, they have the potential to make transportation for people with disabilities in rural areas that cannot financially support public transit systems much better because the significant part of the cost of public transit is the operators, and Level 4 and 5 AVs will make operators unnecessary for many rural trips,” Shiotani explained.

Scherer believes the potential and widespread availability of AVs can have a positive impact on workers with disabilities for years to come.

“I would welcome the opportunity to use safe, reliable AVs in the future,” she said. “Hopefully, they would be more plentiful than wheelchair-accessible taxis and provide another transportation option for those of us who are unable to drive.”