Advancing with AI: How employers can maintain a competitive workforce

The swift arrival and adoption of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence platforms has disrupted the workforce and created uncertainty among today’s workers, with 22% fearing they will lose their jobs to modern technology, up from 15% in 2022. With more technological advancements on the horizon, continuous reskilling and upskilling are crucial to developing our workforce to evolve alongside technology, but the onus can’t fall solely on workers. If leaders expect their business to adapt to the Age of AI and capitalize on the opportunities associated with this technology, they must foster a culture of continuous, proactive workforce development.

With 3 in 4 (75%) companies that prioritize hiring AI talent struggling to find qualified candidates, proactive reskilling is key to harnessing AI’s potential. Here’s how AI will reshape jobs, ways learning teams can identify skills gaps and strategies to achieve workforce readiness.

AI will not take your job, but it will change it

A common myth is that AI will broadly eliminate jobs, but its limitations in critical thinking and empathy as well as its lack of ability to adapt to new situations restrict its capacity to fully replace human workers. The fact is that while half of the workforce reports leveraging AI on the job, it remains a workplace tool, rather than an employee substitute. Increasingly, understanding and using AI is no longer a “tech skill” but a universal workplace competency that businesses will use to evaluate current employees and candidates.

For workers to remain competitive, they must learn how to use and integrate AI into their workflow. A few ways AI can integrate into common tasks include:

• Improving efficiency: 4 in 5 (81%) believe AI will make them more efficient at work. When used correctly, AI can take over mundane, time-consuming tasks such as data entry or scheduling appointments. Using AI to complete these types of rote tasks frees up time for workers to focus on more complex and creative projects that AI is not suited for.
• Compiling and storing data: Workers can use AI to help analyze data and make strategic decisions. For example, when developing marketing campaigns, workers can analyze the data that is organized by an AI platform to determine the best target audience.
• Brainstorming and creating content: AI can help develop outlines, ideas and rough drafts of website content, social media posts, presentations and more. Many professionals are turning to AI as a brainstorming tool to ideate content and develop thought-starters.

Leaders should reimagine jobs and training to prepare workers for the next stage of workplace transformation. And, for workers, it quite literally pays to brush up on these skills: Organizations indicate they are willing to increase pay for AI-proficient workers in sales and marketing (43%), finance (42%), legal, regulatory and compliance (37%), and human resources (35%). Further showcasing that in the workplace of tomorrow, AI skills are a requirement as this technology is increasingly integrated across a variety of business functions.

Upskilling for the right skills

According to some estimates, 85% of the jobs in 2030 haven’t yet been invented, which provides an exciting opportunity for workers and future job seekers who have the right skills to capitalize on this transformation. Beyond creating new jobs, AI is likely to change current job functions. Employers should be introspective to evaluate the skills workers currently possess – as well as any gaps that might exist – and think strategically about the skills that might be needed to support new job functions.

While some staff may have already experimented with using AI, others may not understand how to incorporate it into their work. For workers who are new to AI technology, employers should offer training that introduces workers to AI and teaches them how to use technology to complement work. However, employers should also keep in mind that AI skills gaps might not necessarily be technology-focused.

As workers use AI to automate tasks and free up time for more complex work, they will find:

• Soft skills will be more important than ever. Rather than upskilling on how to use AI, back-office workers might need training on how to successfully engage with clients, effectively lead and manage sales teams or interact with global vendors. Amid today’s tech boom, 84% of employees and managers believe new employees must possess soft skills and demonstrate this in the hiring process.
• Brainpower can be reapplied to take on more complex responsibilities. It is predicted that 30% of all work activities, specifically administrative tasks, could be automated by 2030. This will give human workers more time to manage critical projects and complex workloads such as forecasting, financial planning, operations or project management.

Putting it all together

Although general upskilling programs set out to enhance workers’ skill sets, they often fall short in addressing the actual skills gaps a business faces. For a workforce development program to be successful, an organization must have a clear vision and understanding of its current strengths and opportunities for growth. Depending on the skills gaps it faces, an employer can consider offering workers various upskilling and reskilling pathways, including:

• Mentorship programs: Experienced workers can teach newer ones valuable skills that are specific to the business, as well as the soft skills that are acquired over time. This type of program allows for customization, gives learners more flexibility and encourages team building.
• Third-party training programs: Partnering with education providers and institutions allows employers to bring in experts to train workers in areas that improve company growth, innovation and culture. For example, offering technology courses can not only deepen expertise around AI, but also in-demand tech skills such as cybersecurity and coding.
• Tuition reimbursement programs: The majority (80%) of workers are interested in going back to school while working. The good news is that 3 in 4 (75%) businesses offer employer-paid or employer-sponsored education opportunities with 3 in 5 (61%) providing online education programs, according to the Cengage Group 2022 Employability Report.

Once training programs are completed, employers should assess and review outcome metrics to help determine whether their objectives were met. Did the individual, team or business unit learn the skills they had been lacking? Were efficiencies gained? Employers can look at a variety of outcome metrics to measure the return on their investment in training. This should be used to make decisions on future training programs and those who should participate.

Related: How will AI move the benefits needle?

Skilling is the path forward in the age of AI

Organizations that embrace technological change and share an equal commitment to expanding their workers’ capabilities alongside these changes are best positioned to advance in the age of AI. To close AI skills gaps and stay ahead of emerging technologies, employers can identify where AI can help (and where human work is needed) and curate workforce training programs that effectively meet the needs of the company and each workers’ professional growth.

By providing workers with various learning paths, employers ensure workers have access to continuous learning programs that help them confidently work alongside AI and continue toward the future of work.

Rya Conrad-Bradshaw is VP, corporate markets at Cengage Work, part of Cengage Group. She has spent the last 10+ years at the intersection of education and employment, working with Fortune 500 companies across sectors to create innovative talent solutions. She has expertise in solving skills gap, creating greater equity through talent solutions, and working through the complex workforce system to create lasting, scaled efforts.