AI Impact on Future Jobs
A recent survey conducted by YouGov for Accenture revealed that almost one in three people (31%) expect their job to either change significantly or disappear completely by the end of the decade. This is twice the number of individuals who expressed similar concerns just 18 months ago.
The survey, part of Accenture’s Generating impact report, also found that over three-quarters (79%) of workers anticipate the need to reskill, with more than half (55%) considering changing occupations.
However, there seems to be a lack of clarity and support from organizations to facilitate this transition at scale. Only 26% have conducted a skills audit to assess the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on roles, while 27% do not provide AI-related training on a large scale. Additionally, only 30% are investing in reskilling and redeployment pathways for roles at risk.
Interestingly, while only one-third of executives believed AI would shrink the national workforce in 2024, almost half of business leaders (49%) now expect AI to reduce national employment over the next decade.
The report emphasizes the importance of investing in workforce transition to ensure inclusive growth through reskilling, job creation, and new forms of work. It warns that relying solely on AI-driven efficiency without investing in workforce development could weaken the incentive for businesses to support their employees in the face of automation.
Notably, the survey found that more than half of UK workers (54%) are willing to reskill in response to AI, but only 7% of executives believe their workforce is fully prepared for AI-driven changes.
AI adoption seems to be happening organically outside formal company systems, with 24% of workers sourcing AI tools themselves. However, organizations have yet to redesign their systems and workflows to fully integrate AI technology.
Only a quarter of employees reported a major process redesign around AI in their team in the past year. The report highlights that without redesigning workflows, productivity gains from AI implementation may remain localized and fail to translate into overall organizational performance.
Matt Prebble, head of Accenture in the UK and Ireland, emphasized the need to rethink how work is done in light of AI advancements. He stated, “AI’s productivity impact is crucial for the UK’s economic resilience, and organizations need to catch up with the pace at which individuals are adopting AI technologies.”
He added, “To turn AI adoption into economic value, organizations must reinvent workflows and operations to fully leverage the potential of AI technologies.”
