Artificial Intelligence Coming for Your Job: 41% of Employers Plan to Downsize Workforce
A recent World Economic Forum survey has revealed that 41% of employers intend to downsize their workforce as artificial intelligence (AI) automates certain tasks. The survey, which polled hundreds of large companies around the world, found that 77% of employers plan to reskill and upskill their existing workers between 2025-2030 to better work alongside AI.
The report, titled the Future of Jobs Report, notes that advances in AI and renewable energy are reshaping the labor market, driving an increase in demand for technology and specialist roles while driving a decline for others, such as graphic designers. Generative AI, which can create original text, images, and other content, is particularly changing the nature of work, with jobs such as postal service clerks, executive secretaries, and payroll clerks expected to experience the fastest decline in numbers.
However, AI skills are increasingly in demand, with close to 70% of companies planning to hire new workers with skills to design AI tools and enhancements, and 62% intending to recruit more people with skills to better work alongside AI. The report suggests that the primary impact of technologies such as generative AI on jobs may lie in their potential for “augmenting” human skills through “human-machine collaboration,” rather than outright replacement.
Despite the optimistic note, many workers have already been replaced by AI, with some tech firms citing AI as a reason for making layoffs. The report highlights the need for workers to develop skills that complement AI, rather than being replaced by it.