AI and the disrupted career: how will AI affect career progression?

Meaningful conversations between employers and their people are the key to retention, but almost a quarter of workers we surveyed told us they’d never talked about their career progression with their boss.

Too many workers lack a clear view of their career path as it is, so how will the introduction of groundbreaking tech into the mix affect people’s careers? Can leaders actually leverage AI to augment career conversations?

The Great Replacement?

The fear that AI will replace human workers isn’t entirely unfounded. AI-enabled technology has replaced roles in some industries like manufacturing and customer service. But AI isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Sure, some mundane and repetitive tasks are ripe for automation by a robot, but there are plenty of others which require the intuition, creativity and empathy that only a human can provide.

AI will also create new jobs that require different skills – just look at the explosion in the demand for prompt engineers. In fact, the World Economic Forum predicts that AI will create 12 million more jobs than it eliminates by 2025. What’s more, AI has the potential to make a lot of jobs more enjoyable. Employees will get to do the rewarding parts of their jobs like talking to clients or working on creative problem-solving while the menial tasks are handled by an AI assistant. The best thing employees can do is keep one eye on the trends and think about where it might take their careers.

The “job for life” is no more

The idea of a “job for life” has been dying for some time, but will AI be the final nail in its coffin? Quite possibly. The introduction of AI to the labour market is likely to act as a watershed moment for many employees. In ten years, people will probably be talking about their working life “before AI” and “after AI”. This technology is going to exponentially increase the pace at which the job market changes, and this brave new world will favor the agile worker. Will people have to rethink the careers they’re currently building? Absolutely.

We're living through a seismic shift, make no mistake about it. The impact of AI on people's careers will be profound, but we’re not heading for a dystopian future in which humans become obsolete: far from it.

How can AI help career progression?

AI is a great tool for leaders to use when talking about career progression with their people. Here are a few ways that AI can augment those conversations:

1. Personalised career development

Use AI to analyse performance, skills, and interests to create a personalised career development plan for every employee. People can identify their strengths and double down on them to advance their careers.

2. Improved work-life balance

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants automate repetitive tasks and free up time for employees to focus on more fulfilling and creative work. Hello great work-life balance and goodbye burnout.

3. Better training and development

Training fueled by AI gives employees personalised experiences tailored to their specific needs and learning styles, helping them to learn new skills more efficiently.

4. Enhanced decision making

Finally, the real-time, data-driven insights provided by AI-enabled tools can help employees make better decisions about their careers.

Whether you want to find new talent or upskill the team you have, we can help. Explore our latest whitepaper to unlock growth in the age of generative AI or get in touch with our experts. Discover how to futureproof your workforce with LHH.