AI's arrival at work reshaping employers' hunt for talent
Adoption of AI could give workers "more time to do creative work" -- or impose "greater standardisation of their roles and reduced autonomy.
21 Jun 2025 07:00pm
A survey found almost two-thirds of the more-than-1,000 hiring decision-makers polled used AI to generate job descriptions and screen applications. - Photo generated by Sinar Daily
PARIS - Predictions of imminent AI-driven mass unemployment are likely overblown, but employers will seek workers with different skills as the technology matures, a top executive at global recruiter ManpowerGroup told AFP at Paris's Vivatech trade fair.
The world's third-largest staffing firm by revenue ran a startup contest at Vivatech in which one of the contenders was building systems to hire out customisable autonomous AI "agents", rather than humans. A survey found almost two-thirds of the more-than-1,000 hiring decision-makers polled used AI to generate job descriptions and screen applications. - Photo generated by Sinar Daily
Their service was reminiscent of a warning last month from Dario Amodei, head of American AI giant Anthropic, that the technology could wipe out half of entry-level white-collar jobs within one to five years.
For ManpowerGroup, AI agents are "certainly not going to become our core business any time soon," the company's Chief Innovation Officer Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic said.
"If history shows us one thing, it's most of these forecasts are wrong."
An International Labour Organisation (ILO) report published in May found that around "one in four workers across the world are in an occupation with some degree of exposure" to generative AI models' capabilities.
"Few jobs are currently at high risk of full automation," the ILO added.
But the UN body also highlighted "rapid expansion of AI capabilities since our previous study" in 2023, including the emergence of "agentic" models more able to act autonomously or semi-autonomously and use software like web browsers and email.
'Soft skills'
Chamorro-Premuzic predicted that the introduction of efficiency-enhancing AI tools would put pressure on workers, managers and firms to make the most of the time they will save.
"If what happens is that AI helps knowledge workers save 30, 40, maybe 50 percent of their time, but that time is then wasted on social media, that's not an increase in net output," he said.
Adoption of AI could give workers "more time to do creative work" -- or impose "greater standardisation of their roles and reduced autonomy," the ILO said.
There's general agreement that interpersonal skills and an entrepreneurial attitude will become more important for knowledge workers as their daily tasks shift towards corralling AIs.
Employers identified ethical judgement, customer service, team management and strategic thinking as top skills AI could not replace in a ManpowerGroup survey of over 40,000 employers across 42 countries published this week.
Nevertheless, training that adopts those new priorities has not increased in step with AI adoption, Chamorro-Premuzic lamented.
"For every dollar you invest in technology, you need to invest eight or nine on HR, culture transformation, change management," he said.
He argued that such gaps suggest companies are still chasing automation, rather than the often-stated aim of augmenting human workers' capabilities with AI.
AI hiring AI?
One of the areas where AI is transforming the world of work most rapidly is ManpowerGroup's core business of recruitment.
But here candidates are adopting the tools just as quickly as recruiters and companies, disrupting the old way of doing things from the bottom up.
"Candidates are able to send 500 perfect applications in one day, they are able to send their bots to interview, they are even able to game elements of the assessments," Chamorro-Premuzic said.
That extreme picture was not borne out in a survey of over 1,000 job seekers released this week by recruitment platform TestGorilla, which found just 17 percent of applicants admitting to cheating on tests, and only some of those to using AI.
Jobseekers' use of consumer AI tools meets recruiters doing the same.
The same TestGorilla survey found almost two-thirds of the more-than-1,000 hiring decision-makers polled used AI to generate job descriptions and screen applications.
But a far smaller share are already using the technology to actually interview candidates.
Where employers today are focused on candidates' skills over credentials, Chamorro-Premuzic predicted that "the next evolution is to focus on potential, not even skills even if I know the skills you bring to the table today, they might be obsolete in six months."
"I'm better off knowing that you're hard-working, that you are curious, that you have good people skills, that you're not a jerk -- and that, AI can help you evaluate," he believes. - AFP
More Like This
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysian Reserve
6 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
EU frets over US demands in trade talks it sees as unbalanced
THE US is demanding the European Union make what the bloc's officials see as unbalanced, unilateral concessions as part of ongoing trade talks, setting up a tough decision over whether to move ahead with countermeasures if the terms of any deal don't improve. The best-case scenario remains an agreement on principles that would allow the negotiations to continue beyond an early July deadline, according to people familiar with the matter. Among Washington's requests are measures relating to quotas for fish exports that EU officials say may be incompatible with World Trade Organization rules; tariff-related moves that aren't mutual; and a series of demands on economic security described by the officials from the bloc as far-fetched, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about private discussions. Many of US President Donald Trump's tariffs would stay even in the event of a deal, the people said. The EU, which has been seeking a mutually beneficial deal, will assess any end-result and at that stage decide what level of asymmetry — if any — it's willing to accept, the people added. Member states will likely have a range of views on the matter, and a €95 billion list of potential additional tariffs on US goods that Brussels has formulated risks being watered down by requests for concessions within the bloc. A European Commission spokesperson declined to comment to Bloomberg News on the status of the talks. 'We are fully and deeply engaged in negotiations. A negotiated, mutually beneficial solution remains our preferred outcome,' the spokesperson said. The EU is rushing to clinch a deal with Trump before tariffs on nearly all its exports to the US jump to 50% on July 9. The US president has blasted the EU – which he has said was created to 'screw' the US – over its goods surplus and perceived barriers to American trade. Trump spent much of a 20-minute meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada this week — repeating those grievances and complaining about barriers he claims US carmakers face, the people said. The EU estimates that US duties now cover €380 billion ($439 billion), or about 70%, of its exports to the US. The White House didn't respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Trump complained earlier this week about the EU talks, threatening to give up and impose unilateral tariffs. 'We're talking, but I don't feel that they're offering a fair deal yet,' Trump told reporters on the flight home from the G-7 meeting. 'They're either going to make a good deal or they'll just pay whatever we say they have to pay.' Asked on whether the EU would retaliate if a baseline tariff would stay, von der Leyen told reporters at the G-7 that 'from the very beginning, we have always said that we have different instruments on the table and they stay on the table till the very end, and this is also the case today.' The bloc has stepped up its engagement with the US, pledging fast-track negotiations to reach an agreement. Chief trade negotiator Maros Sefcovic held meetings with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the past week. The US and EU are conducting in-depth discussions on critical sectors – such as steel and aluminum, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and civilian aircraft – as well as on tariff and non-tariff barriers, in addition to strategic purchases and economic security. While talks are taking place in a positive environment, they remain difficult, particularly with regards to the sectoral duties, said the people. Trump has introduced 25% tariffs on autos as well as on steel and aluminum. He's also announced the doubling of the metals levies and is working to expand tariffs on other sectors, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and commercial aircraft. As part of proposals shared with the US late last month, the EU has offered to gradually work toward zero-for-zero tariffs on cars, industrial goods and non-sensitive agricultural goods by looking at quotas as interim steps. The bloc is aiming to address US requests on non-tariff barriers through its simplification agenda, which will cut regulations in a number of sectors. Maintaining the EU's autonomy in regulatory and tax matters remains a red line. Although the EU is pushing to get a reprieve from some of Trump's universal and sectoral tariffs, the bloc expects that many of the levies will remain, leading to asymmetrical arrangements, said the people. Because of that, in parallel to ongoing talks with the Trump administration, the EU continues to prepare counter-measures should negotiations fail to yield a satisfactory result, or if the bloc opts to move ahead with measures to correct any imbalances. The EU has approved tariffs on €21 billion of US goods that can be quickly implemented in response to Trump's metals levies. They target politically sensitive American states and include products such as soybeans from Louisiana, home to House Speaker Mike Johnson, as well as agricultural products, poultry, and motorcycles. The bloc has also prepared an additional list of tariffs on €95 billion of American products in response to Trump's so-called reciprocal levies and automotive duties. They would target industrial goods including Boeing Co. aircraft, US-made cars, and bourbon. Input provided by member states and other stakeholders asking for relief covers as much as €70 billion of the proposed package, according to people familiar, although the bloc's executive arm has made clear it will not fulfill all the requests for changes. The EU is also consulting member states to identify strategic areas where the US relies on the bloc, as well as potential measures that go beyond tariffs, Bloomberg previously reported. –BLOOMBERG
Malay Mail
7 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Tengku Zafrul: Google's Malaysia investment to boost AI growth, create jobs
KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Tech giant Google's investment in Malaysia is expected to continue driving Malaysia's artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing economy. Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who is currently on a working visit to Washington, United States, met with Google representatives to discuss how the company can continue to drive AI development in Malaysia, strengthen cybersecurity and invest in digital skills. 'The government is committed to providing full support and ensuring a conducive investment climate for high-quality investments,' he said in a Facebook post. He added that Google's strategic investment of RM9.4 billion to set up its first data centre and Google Cloud region in Malaysia is expected to generate RM15.04 billion in long-term economic impact and create 26,500 jobs by 2030. 'Thank you, Google, for your continued confidence in Malaysia. Together, we are building a brighter digital future,' he said. — Bernama
Sinar Daily
9 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
Automatic fuel adjustment (AFA) replaces ICPT
For more information, visit By SINAR DAILY REPORTER 21 Jun 2025 07:15pm This mechanism replaces the Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT). The Automatic Fuel Adjustment (AFA) mechanism is a more accurate process for determining fuel costs based on current market fuel price projections. This mechanism replaces the Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT). For more information, visit
