Job seekers are drawn to ads that mention AI

Recent advances in artificial intelligence promise to change or render obsolete millions of jobs. While this prospect raises fears among employees, it is also prompting some to anticipate this evolution in the job market by applying for vacancies that mention AI.

This surprising trend is highlighted in a new LinkedIn report. Its authors found that recruitment ads alluding to this booming technology particularly attract the attention of job seekers. Over the past two years, they have seen 17% greater growth in the number of applications than those not mentioning AI. This progression proves that AI is a hot topic in the workforce.

And this appears to be a global phenomenon, since the job offers analysed by LinkedIn for the purposes of this study were written in a multitude of languages, including French, English, Mandarin and Turkish.

Erin Scruggs, vice-president of global talent acquisition at LinkedIn, sees this as evidence of the adaptability of many professionals. “Candidates are savvy. They’re showing they want to go where opportunities are,” she says.

The specialist recommends that companies outline their AI strategy in detail in the job advertisements they post, in order to help working people envisage what promises to be a revolution in the professional world.

Artificial intelligence may be a hot topic, but experts the world over are still unable to say precisely what its effects on the job market will be. The American bank Goldman Sachs estimated in March that artificial intelligence systems could automate 300 million jobs in the near future. This would represent a quarter of global activity.

Employment website Indeed goes even further in one of its latest studies, claiming that all jobs posted on its platform will be impacted by this technology.

While opinions differ, there is no doubt that today’s and tomorrow’s workers will have to learn to collaborate effectively with AI. They need to consolidate their knowledge and skills to meet the new needs for complementarity between humans and machines.

But working people don’t necessarily need to become experts in “prompt crafting” or robotic systems to secure a professional future in an increasingly automated society.

The American group IBM states in its “Augmented Work for an Automated, AI-Driven World” report that human talents will enable people to stand out in the job market.

But focusing on “soft skills” will not be enough. Continuous learning will be needed to ensure that knowledge is always up-to-date, given the remarkable speed at which artificial intelligence is evolving.

While this technology will not totally replace humans, it will reinforce the disparities between the working population. Those who know how to master it will likely fare better than those who resist. – AFP Relaxnews