Will I stay or will I go? Jobs being created and pushed out by advancing tech

The business landscape is undergoing radical change at the moment. The advancement of technology is forcing many to rethink processes and form new methods for operating effectively.

How organisations are responding to changes in the workforce was outlined in a report from Alteryx, which gathered the opinions of 2,800 IT decision-makers. Here, jobs were discussed and, more specifically, which are likely to stay and which are likely to go.

“The rapid rise of AI requires business leaders to build and shape the future workforce now to thrive or risk lagging behind in a future transformed by a seismic shift in the skills needed for the era of intelligence,” said Libby Duane Adams, chief advocacy officer at Alteryx.

“Not all employees need to become data scientists. It’s about championing cultures of creative problem solving, learning to look at business problems through an analytic lens, and collaborating across all levels to empower employees to use data in everyday roles. Continuous investments in data literacy upskilling and training opportunities will create the professional trajectories where everyone can ‘speak data’ and exploit AI applications for trusted, ethical outcomes.”

New roles emerge

A consequence of the evolution of tech is the need to develop new positions to cater for the changes.

Developing skills so employees are able to operate these systems has become a top priority for many businesses. According to the study, 67 per cent of respondents anticipate the emergence of the chief AI officer role will be critical to a more holistic approach to AI strategy.

The top positions that are taking hiring priority to prepare for the future are:

1. AI application engineer (40 per cent)
2. Software engineer (34 per cent)
3. AI/ML engineer (32 per cent)
4. AI research scientist (30 per cent)
5. Chief AI officer (26 per cent)
6. Data scientist (26 per cent)
7. Data engineer (25 per cent)
8. Chief analytics officer (23 per cent)
9. AI ethicist (21 per cent)
10. Robotics engineer (20 per cent)

Similarly, there are a variety of new roles emerging in response to the advancement of tech:

1. Chief AI officer (62 per cent)
2. Prompt engineer/AI whisperer (58 per cent)
3. Trainers/educators specialising in AI (45 per cent)
4. Data ethics and privacy roles (41 per cent)
5. Automation specialists (37 per cent)
6. Head of work /organisational culture (34 per cent)

AI proficiency is clearly the major player in preparing companies for the future. Businesses can benefit by understanding and driving home the impact this tech will have on processes. In fact, 82 per cent of respondents say that AI is already impacting what their organisation can achieve.

Likewise, employees looking to stand out from the crowd and hone an attractive skill set should look towards developing their AI skills.

Obsolete skills

On the flip side, there are skills that are being pushed out through the development of technology. According to respondents, the main skills becoming obsolete are:

1. Network engineering (29 per cent)
2. Repetitive coding (24 per cent)
3. Database administration (23 per cent)
4. Systems administration (21 per cent)
5. Application support (20 per cent)
6. Single-language software development (19 per cent)
7. Quality assurance (19 per cent)
8. Infrastructure engineering (19 per cent)
9. Single-software expertise (18 per cent)
10. Front-end web development (18 per cent)

The need for employees to have multiple skill sets is seemingly becoming a priority, with 72 per cent claiming it is more important for their employees to be multiskilled than to be specialised in a specific area.

Many traditional processes are being turned on their head, and just 26 per cent noted that building human capacity and preparing for a labour market transition are important considerations for an AI world.

Soft skills that are important for connecting and communicating with people are being pushed aside for more tech-related hard skills, such as expertise in AI, software, data analysis and mining, and financial analysis and planning. In fact, these skills all ranked ahead of the most in-demand soft skills, including data literacy, strategic thinking, digital literacy, and team leadership.

There are some soft skills that are expected to remain important in the transition, such as creativity (68 per cent), critical thinking (47 per cent), emotion (41 per cent), and morality (35 per cent).