AI Job Losses Are on the Rise, But That’s Just Part of the Story

AI job losses are on the rise, but the full picture is more nuanced than the numbers suggest, as AI is also enabling job restructuring and redefinition.

Key takeaways:

• More than one-third of business leaders say AI replaced workers in 2023, and 44% report that there will be AI-driven layoffs in 2024, according to a ResumeBuilder report.
• However, these numbers may not accurately reflect the broad business landscape, as many traditional organizations and small businesses do not embrace technology the same way larger companies do.

AI’s potential to reduce “work about work”: Asana’s chief product officer estimates that half the time spent at work is on tasks like status updates and cross-departmental communication, which AI could help reduce, allowing humans to move up the value chain and focus on higher-level tasks.

White-collar work and human-centered AI:

• Employees say 29% of their work tasks are replaceable by AI, but Asana promotes “human-centered AI” that enhances human abilities and collaboration rather than replacing people outright.
• White-collar and clerical workers represent 19.6%–30.4% of all employed people globally, and AI should be considered another development in the long continuum of change affecting knowledge work.

Personal responsibility and AI experimentation:

• Professionals need to take personal responsibility for developing new skills and understanding how AI could impact their positions and industries.
• Companies that fund employee skill development will be better positioned than those that don’t.
• Employers should encourage individual experimentation with AI to help employees understand its capabilities and limitations.

Broader implications: While AI-induced layoffs are happening, historical evidence suggests that technological advancements do not result in mass unemployment. The workforce has shown malleability, and increased technological capacity can lead to higher-value work and productivity that future AI generations will likely handle. However, it is important to consider the wider gap between the technological haves and have-nots, as a significant portion of the global population still lacks internet access.