Fifty-two per cent of Australians ‘definitely’ think their job will be impacted by artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in the next 10 years, according to recruiting experts Hays.
In the online poll of 2706 people, a further 27 percent said that ‘maybe’ their job will be impacted. The final 21 percent do not believe their job will be impacted at all.
So is AI and automation your friend or foe? The answer depends on your willingness to adapt your skills, says Hays.
“Automation and artificial intelligence have already begun to impact a diverse range of workplaces and jobs, from automated self-service checkouts in retail stores to assembly lines in manufacturing plants,” says Nick Deligiannis, managing director of Hays in Australia & New Zealand.
“But with automation and AI replacing or taking over manual and repetitive tasks, this will leave employees free to focus on the non-routine and more advanced aspects of their job.
“There’s also the possibility that robots and AI could be used as another tool to help us do our job better, rather than replace us. In this context, automation could be viewed as an enabler, helping us to be more efficient.”
Of course, this makes continuous up-skilling the key to remaining relevant in the developing job market – but there are certain kinds of skills that will be more valuable than others.
“When we look at the skills automation is taking over, they are usually hard or technical skills. Soft skills are a lot more difficult to automate or outsource,” says Deligiannis.
“So it is soft skills that will add to your value in the years ahead. This includes communication, teamwork, adaptability, creative thinking and relationship building skills.
“With employers already looking closely at candidates’ soft skills, it seems the value of the human touch is growing even greater in an automated world of work,” says Deligiannis.
