Despite the mounting concerns of many professionals that AI will usurp their place in the workforce, it’s important to highlight that any time new tech has been introduced, it has historically surfaced these fears. Yet, in essence, emerging tech shifted mindsets, sparked creativity, and pushed humans to make new impacts. In today’s tech scene, professionals with strong foundational skills are still core to many industries for several reasons: infrastructures need to remain sound, business insights need to be applied and soft skills are in high demand. As some experts note “AI will make us more human at work” and here’s why…

Projected Employment Growth in the Tech Sector

Technology and the need for technical skills continue to grow at a rapid rate. Employment in the U.S. technology sector is anticipated to triple compared to 2023, along with a prediction that 300,000 new jobs will be created to supplement the growth, according to the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

Positions in data analysis, cybersecurity, software development, and the emerging tech category focused on artificial intelligence are predicted to grow at the fastest rate. Infrastructure positions continue to be prevalent, mostly those related to networking, cloud engineering, and tech support. These core roles continue to be abundant and are a great first job for those just starting out in the tech industry.

But as AI begins to impact jobs, it is also creating a new field of occupation. Many employers are looking for candidates who have strong AI expertise. The demand for AI technical skills in the employment market is becoming increasingly relevant to support the growth of this new technology. New training and certification programs focused on the development and understanding of artificial intelligence are emerging as it begins to infiltrate the workplace and shift job focus.

The Notion of AI Replacing Jobs Highlights the Importance of Soft Skills

According to Forbes.com, soft skills “open doors to new opportunities” and “cultivate a growth mindset” which allows advancement and quick adaptation in a rapidly changing industry.  As AI replacing jobs in the workforce becomes a concern, soft skills become increasingly important.

Soft skills such as collaboration and communication are beginning to prevail as AI begins to automate current technical skills. For example, LinkedIn researchers recently identified skills that any given job requires and counted over 500 skills that can be affected by generative AI. The researchers also estimated that 96 percent of a software engineer’s current skills can be eventually replicated by AI. This means many tech jobs will spend more time on collaboration, communication, and innovation, therefore bringing more humanity into the workplace.

AI Will Help Reprioritize Humanity in Tech

With the potential of AI repositioning jobs, it grants employees more time to build interpersonal relationships, motivate and guide teams, negotiate between parties, and personally engage with customers and clients. Many of the prompting and reasoning we use to work effectively with AI are similar to the skills we use to communicate, and communication has become the most in-demand skill on LinkedIn today, across all jobs. A recent Jobs for the Future survey found that 78 percent of the top employing occupations categorized unique human skills as “important” or “very important”. This includes skills like communication, collaboration, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.

Human’s ability to effectively communicate, develop empathy, and think critically has allowed us to adapt and innovate for centuries. We all possess these skills, and we can all improve on these skills. Employers have become more focused on how AI can lead employees to spend less time on routine tasks and more time working on their social abilities and personal engagement with others.

The tech sector continues to grow at a fast pace and with the development of AI, tech companies are looking for strong technical skills but also equally strong human skills, such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. If there is any indication that AI replaces jobs or specific skills, people skills and social abilities become more important than ever before, and employers want to see what unique human qualities you can bring to the table. AI will not replace jobs; it will help us highlight our human strengths, enabling us to deliver new levels of human achievement and success.