Indeed: 9 in 10 employees confident they can adapt to AI at work

Employees are not scared by the prospect of AI in the workplace – in fact, they are excited.

According to a survey of 16,000 employees, HR leaders and managers from Indeed, although seven in ten thing that AI will impact their roles and the skills they need in the next five years, 89% back themselves to adapt.

When asked about how they felt about the changes to their role over the next five years, the top responses were capable (37%), prepared (35%) and excited (28%).

The greatest confidence and excitement comes from the US – where 92% felt confident about their ability to adapt and 37% were excited about the potential of AI.

The French were less excited (13%), but still felt prepared (29%) and capable (26%).

A central reason for this optimistic view is that while, yes, certain tasks are ripe for automation, there are lot of areas where humans outperform machines.

AI was able to analyze data five times better, plus was three times better at routine tasks, but humans have higher emotional intelligence (56%), and are more proficient at decision making (33%) and critical thinking (41%) globally.

Interestingly, in the US, 34% think AI is better at critical thinking, but 47% agreed that humans are more empathetic.

The lesson for HR leaders is to lean in, and harness, this optimism from employees. Indeed’s report argues that the best way to do this is to staff on the journey around AI, and to be really transparent and communicate clearly where and how AI will be used at work.

HR, take responsibility for closing skills gaps

Indeed’s report is clear that HR leaders must not rest on their laurels and ignore that there remains some employee uncertainty over AI, and how it’ll impact their jobs.

48% said more jobs will be lost to AI than created; this rose to 58% in the UK, and settled at 47% in the US and 46% in Germany.

The solution here is learning and development, and starting to take a skills-first (not a job-centric) approach to the future of work.

Speaking exclusively to UNLEASH, Head of Talent Intelligence at Indeed, Danny Stacy, notes: “The availability of training and upskilling opportunities will be key to making employees feel confident in navigating changes to their role.”

Almost half of employees made it clear that they “are looking to employers to take responsibility for developing their skills, rising to 59% in the UK”, adds Stacy.

He continues: “HR leaders would be wise to ensure that employees can hone their abilities in skills they believe humans have the upper hand in, such as critical thinking and decision-making.

Focusing training efforts on these areas will help ensure workers are ready for their role to evolve, as AI takes on more repetitive tasks.”

The great news is that HR is on board – 56% see the skills gap as a stumbling block to a bright future, and 64% think HR has a lot of responsibility for reskilling and upskilling.

There’s no time to waste, as Indeed’s report stated: “Making tomorrow’s world a better one requires companies, and their leaders, to plan. Let’s get started.”