Working with AI will be as “inherent” as we are working with the internet – workers will need to equip themselves with the skills for this new future.
that is based on Microsoft’s New Job Trends Index Reportthe survey surveyed 31,000 people in 31 markets between February 2023 and March 2023.
Chatbot ChatGPT sparked a new wave of interest in generative artificial intelligence technology in recent months, and big tech companies such as Google and Microsoft have since sought to integrate AI into their businesses.
Microsoft’s $13 billion investment in startup OpenAI led to improvements to Bing search, which the company says uses large language models “More powerful than ChatGPT”
However, the ability of generative AI to create text, images and other content based on human input has brought to the fore new concerns about jobs being displaced by technology.
A recent Goldman Sachs report found that 300 million jobs worldwide will be affected by AI and automation, such as office and administrative support positions.
Colette Stallbaumer, general manager of Microsoft 365 and the “future of work,” told CNBC’s Make It virtual interview that Microsoft is “very optimistic” about how artificial intelligence can make work better.
Like… any large-scale technological change, whether it’s the PC revolution or the Internet, there’s always a period of time when the technology spreads and new jobs are created.
Colette Stahlbaumer
Microsoft
“Like … any large-scale technological shift, whether it’s the PC shift or the Internet, there’s always a period of time when the technology spreads and new jobs are created,” she added.
“We really believe AI will create more jobs than it replaces.”
The AI skill sets leaders think employees need
According to Microsoft, 82% of leaders globally and 85% in APAC say employees will New skills are needed in an “AI-driven future.”
The report found that the top three skills leaders consider most important are analytical judgment, flexibility and emotional intelligence.
These skills are “new core competencies” not just for technical roles or AI specialists, Microsoft added.
You still have to use those judgment skills when considering when to use AI and making those decisions — and that’s where the human power really comes in.
Colette Stahlbaumer
Microsoft
“The human is always in control…by generating an AI response, you have a moment of, ‘Do I keep this content? Do I modify it? Do I discard it?’,” Stallbaumer explained.
“You still have to use these judgment skills when considering when to use AI and making those decisions — that’s where the human power really comes in.”
Emotional intelligence is also critical to help “determine when to leverage AI capabilities as opposed to human capabilities,” Microsoft added.
Top skills leaders believe are critical to the future
- Analysis and judgment
- flexibility
- emotional intelligence
- thirst for knowledge
- Deviation Detection and Handling
- AI delegation (hint)
In response to a query from CNBC Make It, LinkedIn added that the skills needed in today’s job market are “changing rapidly,” much of which is driven by artificial intelligence.
“[This]underscores the need for companies to focus on upskilling and reskilling their workforce, and the need for professionals to have a growth mindset.”
According to LinkedIn, the five fastest-growing AI-related skills in 2022 are: question answering, classification, recommender systems, computer vision, and natural language processing.
Demand for AI jobs still outstrips supply
LinkedIn added that AI is seeing rapid growth in the labor market — in Asia Pacific, the growth in AI talent hiring in 2022 is higher “compared to the region’s overall hiring.”
For example, from 2016 to 2022, the proportion of AI talent in Asia will increase exponentially – up to 565% in Singapore, 527% in Australia, and 487% in India.
The introduction of generative AI “has already begun to reshape the labor market,” said Karin Kimbrough, chief economist at LinkedIn, although demand still outstrips supply.
“While it’s early days, this transformation will expand opportunities, create new roles and increase productivity.”
Interest in artificial intelligence jobs in Singapore has grown by 148.6 percent over the past five years, while the number of such job postings has lagged behind, growing by just 95 percent over the same period, according to jobs portal Indeed.
Karthik Sudhakar, Senior Manager of International Strategy and Operations at Indeed, said: “Because of its huge return potential, Asia has become a hub for AI development, research and commercialization.”
“Japan and South Korea are the two leading tech countries in Asia with the highest number of AI patent filings in the world.”
In Singapore, AI-related jobs also pay “above the average monthly salary of $3,800,” Indeed said. For example, machine learning engineers and data engineers earn an average of $5,800 and $6,100.
While compensation remains a factor in job decisions, LinkedIn attributes the heightened interest in AI-related skills and jobs to professionals “staying ahead” in an uncertain environment.
LinkedIn’s Career Expert Pooja Chhabria added, “We’re seeing professionals show more agency by taking control of their careers and using skills as the building blocks for designing their careers.”
“As more organizations now adopt a skills-first approach to hiring, they are prioritizing skills over degrees as a way of charting new career paths.”
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