Over 80% of professionals worry about losing their jobs as AI advances: Report

Written By Aayushi | Updated: Dec 20, 2023, 11:08 PM IST

The paper, titled "Future of the Skills Landscape 2024," emphasises the necessity of ongoing reskilling by highlighting the growing anxiety among India's workforce around possible job loss due to improving technology.

Many are concerned about the potential negative effects of technology as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent. According to a recent poll, 82% of working professionals fear that as technology progresses, their jobs may become outdated.

The paper, titled "Future of the Skills Landscape 2024," emphasises the necessity of ongoing reskilling by highlighting the growing anxiety among India's workforce around possible job loss due to improving technology.

A survey on the effects of technology on careers was conducted among 2 lakh students, professionals, and academics by the edtech startup Hero Vired. Even still, 78% of respondents believe that upskilling is essential to be relevant in a changing job market, despite worries about losing their jobs.

As technology rapidly changes the nature of jobs, workers acknowledge that reskilling is essential to maintaining employment. The paper also emphasises how artificial intelligence has a significant impact on job advancement. According to 39% of respondents, AI capabilities have a major impact on people's advancement in existing positions.

Nonetheless, 43% of respondents are not happy with how little AI training their businesses are delivering. This disparity draws attention to the perceived value of AI talents against the real company funding for skill development.

With ChatGPT's debut, AI has become a hot topic when it comes to workplace technology. According to 90% of respondents, in five years artificial intelligence (AI) will be the most in-demand skill. Surprisingly, 80% of people think that by 2028, AI-related talents will also pay the greatest.

The study provides insight into the pattern and means of upskilling among professionals. 43.5% of adults between the ages of 18 and 55 believe that upskilling is necessary every six months. Online courses were chosen by 81% of those who chose to improve last year due to edtech's expansion of access to skill-building. Additionally, 83% believe that having specific AI skills would enhance career opportunities.

Even if AI promises pay increases, soft skills are still essential. As automation increases, workers with advanced hard skill sets emphasise the importance of focusing on non-technical talents like communication that distinguish people.

As a result, it was discovered that digital marketing, green occupations, and mental health counselling were among the top three non-technology field jobs that were anticipated to be in high demand. According to the survey, there is an increasing need for people with experience in management, green technology, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as industries promote sustainability.