Rometty told the assembled throngs at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that it was important that tech companies focus on hiring people with valuable skills, not just people with college degrees.

Technology's fast-moving pace here in the 21st century makes it harder for people to find jobs and has led to disillusionment with the future.

"With the new technologies that are out there, I think there is a huge inclusion problem, meaning there's a large part of society that does not feel this is going to be good for their future", Rometty said.

"Forget about whether it is or it isn't or what we believe. Therefore they feel very disenfranchised.

"So when it comes to education and skills, I think the government can't solve it alone.  I think businesses have to believe I'll hire for skills, not just their degrees or their diplomas. Because otherwise, we'll never bridge this gap.

"All of us are full of companies with university degrees, PhDs, you've got to make room for everyone in society in these jobs". When Rometty said that, other business leaders on the panel nodded their heads.

She added: "We have a serious duty about this. Because these technologies are changing faster with times than their skills are going to change. So it is causing this skill crisis.”

Rometty said you would need new pathways that don't all include college education and you would have to have respect for that job -- not blue collar or white collar, and she calls it a new collar.