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Today, LinkedIn’s Economic Graph released the latest edition of the Future of Work Report: AI at Work — and it’s all about how generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is poised to impact workers across different industries, generations, and genders. Let’s take a closer look to see what it means and why it matters for talent professionals. 

First, the big picture: 55% of LinkedIn’s 1 billion members currently hold jobs that stand to be impacted by GAI.

For 47% of members, the core skills of their roles may be disrupted, while 8% could find their skills largely augmented by advances in the new technology. 

Now, it’s important to note that “disrupt” isn’t necessarily negative — it’s meant more in the sense of a startup disrupting an old business model, rather than a headache disrupting your day. Here are the full definitions of each label:

Disrupted: These jobs’ core skills include a large share of skills that can be replicated by GAI and a relatively low share of people skills. For example, language translators’ skills shift from doing translations from scratch to reviewing and certifying machine-generated translations or specializing in specific legal or literary domains.
Augmented: These jobs’ core skills include a large share of both skills that can be replicated by GAI and people skills. For example, data analysts automate the computation and interpretation of metrics with GAI, enabling them to focus their time on people skills, such as cross-functional engagement and stakeholder management.
Insulated: These jobs have a relatively small proportion of skills that GAI can replicate in their core skills. For example, real estate agents might utilize GAI to write a listing’s description, but their core relationship management skills would be insulated from GAI.

So, what does that mean for you as a talent professional? Significant changes are coming to the roles you focus on — whether you’re hiring, supporting, or developing talent. (To say nothing of your own roles; stay tuned for a future story on that.) 

Over time, your organization may put a higher premium on people skills and the ability to responsibly use GAI as part of new workflows.

Read on to see how these shifts may occur across industries, generations, and genders — so you know where to anticipate bigger changes and where you might plan for more stability. 

Impact across industries: healthcare to remain most insulated, while tech and retail face greatest impact

Healthcare professionals are already facing staffing shortages and strain

Interestingly, retail is tied with tech for the most impact overall (71% affected), but in a slightly different manner. Most (57%) of the members in retail may see their roles disrupted — but 14% can expect to be augmented by GAI. That’s more than twice the share of tech workers (6%). 

If you’re a talent professional working in one of these industries, here’s what that might look like. (For a look at other industries, dive into the full report.)

In healthcare, it’ll be more or less business as usual — you don’t need to worry about GAI upending your workflows. Tech recruiters, on the other hand, will probably need to familiarize themselves with new sets of GAI skills and assess how well candidates can use them. Meanwhile, in retail, learning and development (L&D) pros may become even more critical, as employees  learn to leverage GAI in concert with their existing people skills. 

Impact across generations: Younger workers may be more disrupted

Baby Boomers may have the most to gain from GAI. A considerable slice (14%) of Baby Boomers can expect to have their current skills augmented by the new technology, compared to just 4% of Gen Z members. In fact, Gen Zers will see the greatest amount of disruption, with most (54%) of them currently in roles that rely on skills that could be replicated by GAI. 

Talent professionals should keep in mind that this younger generation may be well positioned to pivot into new skills: As true digital natives, they’ve already had to continually adapt to accelerating technical changes. Gen Z could also be the most invested in mastering the new tech, since virtually their entire career will take place in a post-GAI world. 

Impact across genders: Women may face greater disruption

In terms of total impact, 55% of women and 54% of men can expect to have their current roles affected. Only 6% of women on LinkedIn can expect to see their roles augmented by GAI, while nearly half (49%) may face disruption. One reason women could see a bit more disruption is their overrepresentation in occupations with more GAI-replicable skills, like medical administrative assistant, office manager, and legal assistant. 

Men face a slightly stabler outlook, though the difference is minor: 9% of male members may see their jobs augmented, compared with 45% facing disruption. 

Despite facing greater disruption, just 34% of women have experimented with AI tools, compared with 40% of men globally, per a recent LinkedIn survey. As GAI becomes a bigger part of business, talent pros — especially those in L&D — should focus on creating more opportunities for all workers to familiarize themselves with the new technology.

Final thoughts

The stats discussed here are just a small part of the November 2023 edition of the Future of Work Report: AI at Work — read the full report to dive into all the details. Understanding and embracing these changes as well as adapting to them will be key for talent professionals to thrive in a landscape being rapidly reformed by generative AI.

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