Globally, job vacancy postings that mentioned ‘AI’ or ‘generative AI’ have more than doubled between July 2021 and July 2023.
This is according to recent data from Linkedin, the jobs and networking platform.
Job posts related to AI range from positions directly involved in AI development, such as AI engineers, to roles where AI is listed as a required skill, like digital product managers or cybersecurity consultants.
Since the surge in artificial intelligence (AI) began late last year, it is evident that AI is poised to have a profound impact on the labour market, and this impact is already underway.
Nairametrics reports that certain countries experienced an even more significant increase compared to the 2.2x global average, with the U.K. witnessing a 2.3x rise, and Germany and France experiencing jumps of 2.6x and 2.8x, respectively.
This transformative shift is occurring across diverse industries, according to Olivier Sabella, Vice President of LinkedIn Talent Solutions for EMEA and LATAM, who noted,
- “We’re seeing demand for AI skills increasingly appear across a wide range of industries and geographies.”
Growing importance of AI
In response to this trend, prospective employees are adapting to the growing importance of AI in various jobs.
LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report revealed that job posts mentioning artificial intelligence or generative AI experienced 17% greater application growth over the past two years compared to posts without such mentions.
Even among those not currently applying to AI-related positions, there is a clear appetite for adopting the latest technology, as indicated by a LinkedIn survey of nearly 30,000 professionals worldwide.
Globally, 89% of professionals expressed excitement about using AI, although enthusiasm levels varied by country.
For example, only 76% of U.K. professionals shared this sentiment.
The survey also revealed that 57% of professionals globally expressed a desire to learn more about AI. This interest is reflected in the rise of AI skills, with an increasing number of LinkedIn users indicating proficiency in working with AI-based tools and products.
- “The pace at which LinkedIn members added AI skills to their profiles has nearly doubled since the launch of ChatGPT alone,” Sabella noted. Since early 2016, the number of people claiming to possess AI skills has multiplied ninefold.
As both employers and employees grapple with the integration of AI into the future of work, the importance of building AI skills has become a central theme.
Questions regarding which skills are necessary and how developed they need to behave surfaced, with some asserting that even basic knowledge can be beneficial.
The changing landscape of work environments and evolving job expectations and requirements underscore the importance of acquiring AI skills.
As the unmistakable influence of AI on jobs becomes increasingly apparent, expanding one’s skill set is viewed as a crucial step in future-proofing careers.
However, this has led to individuals pondering whether their jobs will be affected, if layoffs are imminent, and how their daily routines might be altered by the advent of generative AI.
