The world of work is changing at a rapid pace business leaders have recognized, which is causing heightened expectations on HR departments.

That’s according to LinkedIn’s Work Change Snapshot research, unveiled today as part of the vendor’s Talent Connect conference in Arizona, which found that seven in ten global business leaders said the pace of change at work is speeding up as demand for new roles, skills and technologies increases.

This is evidenced by the fact that 10% of workers hired this year have job titles that didn’t exist a decade ago – such as data scientist, AI engineer and sustainability manager.

Meanwhile, the required skills to match this evolution are expected to change by 70% globally by 2030 (since 2016), accelerated by rapid developments in areas such as AI. 

As a result, over half (55%) of HR professionals said expectations of them at work are higher than ever before as they help organizations to prepare for and navigate these changes.

To aid organizations adapt to the pace of change, LinkedIn has announced the launch of its new Hiring Assistant, the company’s first AI hiring agent.

The tool is designed to handle repetitive and time-consuming tasks of the hiring process to allow recruiters and hiring managers to spend more time on the more impactful elements, such as connecting with candidates and improving candidate experiences.

Recruiters will be able to provide feedback on the candidates throughout the entire process, helping the Hiring Assistant to continuously learn each recruiter’s preferences and become more personalized to each hirer.

The tool has been rolled out  in charter to a select group of recruiters from organizations including AMD, Canva, Siemens and Zurich Insurance, and will be available to further companies in the coming months.

HR’s crucial role in helping embrace AI

One of the most significant changes for business leaders is the rise of Generative AI, which was recognized as having the highest transformative potential, with 8 in 10 reporting at least one way the technology could benefit their teams. 

Despite this, just one in 10 global business leaders said that their organisation is leading in AI adoption.

Meanwhile, this change is also having a negative impact on HR.

More than two fifths (42%) said they feel overwhelmed by how many decisions they have to make each day, while one in five (21%) said they are spending up to a quarter of their working week searching for the right information and insights. 

Janine Chamberlin, UK Country Manager at, LinkedIn tells UNLEASH that while most companies are still working out how to “best unlock the potential presented” by AI advancements, and effective change management will play a “crucial role in ensuring the successful implementation of AI.”

“HR teams will be invaluable for managing these changes,” Chamberlin says.

These teams have deep insights into the skills their company has now, and the skills it will need next. And it’s great to see business leaders really leaning on the expertise of their HR teams.” 

“However, understandably these professionals are feeling the pressure from their growing list of responsibilities. And for these professionals to deliver the support expected of them, they need to have the right tools and resources to succeed.”