AI skills essential for better job opportunities, boosting Gen Z careers: Microsoft-LinkedIn report
AI skills essential for better job opportunities, boosting Gen Z careers: Microsoft-LinkedIn report
The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has sparked a blend of fascination and anxiety globally. While the marvel often centers on AI's transformative capabilities, the concern revolves around the potential for AI to replace human jobs. Although the wholesale takeover of jobs by AI seems distant, a more immediate threat looms: humans leveraging AI against each other in the job market.
Recent insights from Microsoft and LinkedIn confirm this, indicating that individuals lacking AI skills risk falling behind in career opportunities to those who possess them.
This research, encompassing over 30,000 individuals across 31 countries, revealed a compelling trend: nearly 70% of leaders now prioritise AI proficiency over experience in hiring decisions. Essentially, they favor candidates with AI knowledge over seasoned professionals who lack such skills.
“Learning basic AI skills — such as prompt engineering, machine learning, or data literacy — is the best insurance to shortcut your competitiveness against people who might have more experience,” noted Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn’s Vice President and workforce expert, in an interview with CNBC Make It.
With the increasing emphasis on AI skills in hiring, younger candidates equipped with AI knowledge are likely to have a competitive edge over their more experienced counterparts, potentially accelerating their rise within organizations. Gen Z, the digital-native generation, is more inclined to incorporate these AI tools at work compared to millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers.
Furthermore, 77% of leaders are inclined to assign more significant responsibilities to early-career professionals with AI expertise, according to findings from Microsoft and LinkedIn. Lydia Logan, IBM’s Vice President of Global Education and Workforce Development, predicted that the rapid adoption of AI in the workplace will notably transform entry-level job duties.
Raman also highlighted that AI can propel young professionals' careers by providing rapid access to personalised career guidance, market analysis, and other data-driven insights, enhancing their confidence and proficiency in their roles.
Colette Stallbaumer, General Manager of Microsoft Copilot and co-founder of Microsoft WorkLab, insists that the hype around AI is far from reaching its peak. "In fact, it is only just starting to gain momentum," she said.
The report by Microsoft and LinkedIn notes that the adoption of generative AI toolshas doubled in workplaces over the past six months. This trend spans beyond programmers and engineers, extending to professionals in architecture, project management, and administration who are increasingly seeking to build their AI proficiency.
Even traditionally non-tech industries such as healthcare, finance, and marketing are rapidly integrating AI technologies to streamline operations and boost productivity. This swift adoption is creating a surge in demand for professionals skilled in AI tools, opening new job opportunities.
Stallbaumer observed, “Less than two years after generative AI burst onto the scene, we’re seeing this technology being woven into the fabric of work across a wide range of industries. This is happening at a pivotal time where the pressure, volume, and pace of work from the COVID-19 pandemic has hardly let up. Employees are overwhelmed and turning to AI for help.”
Some tech giants like Google and Amazon are also investing in training their workforce in AI skills, though this proactive approach remains more the exception than the norm. Only a quarter of companies surveyed by Microsoft and LinkedIn plan to provide training on generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.