AI as Job Shifter: ManpowerGroup's Perspective on the Future of Work

AI isn't a job killer, it's a job shifter. We're the biggest employment agency in the world and we can see where things are moving

Optimists believe AI will create more jobs for a bright future we can only dream of. Pessimists believe it will be a job killer at a scale that is unprecedented. Yet there is a middle road. AI will evolve roles -- first those connected to the three Cs -- Coding, Conversation and Content -- and it will also create more opportunities for people to work in new ways. Some tasks will become obsolete, new ones will emerge. We've been forecasting workforce trends for more than 70 years. Back in 2018, we were already talking about the intersection of human and machine intelligence. Our paper "Robots Need Not Apply" argued for the importance of human skills at a time when automation was scaling quickly. That emphasis is no less relevant today than it was seven years ago. The introduction of AI into global workplaces isn't as simple as upending an entire department and allowing technology to take over. It requires a precise, human centered approach to analyzing tasks and processes to enable people to focus on the work that truly adds value. Some organizations learned this the hard way when they rehired employees they'd previously let go, after recognizing the number of automated tasks that required human intervention and discernment. When it comes to AI, I'm a grounded optimist. I believe that rather than eliminating jobs, AI is changing their very nature. In fact, through 2025, seven out of 20 job categories -- such as IT, finance, and customer service -- saw an increase in AI skills required in job postings compared to 2024. And enterprises in industries like finance, consulting, and automative -- who were once late technology adopters -- are leading the way. Unlike other IT-centric emerging technologies, AI is now woven into nearly every part of our work and lives, evolving into a partner, coach, mentor, and assistant. Yet, its true value still relies on human oversight, judgment, and context. As I often say, AI is the cape, but humans are -- and will remain -- the superheroes. Three key adoption insights reinforce this view and guide what leaders should do next. According to our research, more than half of employers worldwide are using generative AI, with 47% saying they currently use AI tools to hire, train, and onboard talent. Forty-seven percent believe the most productive workers build their AI skills in house through direct work experience and employer-sponsored programs. Still, individual employees need to see clear paths forward and many ultimately do not. 50% of employees do not feel technology will make work better for them, and 41% fear their role will be replaced by automation in the next two years. This uncertainty is understandable given that 39% of core workforce skills will be disrupted by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum. However, if AI is deployed in the right way it will enable organizations to grow, creating more opportunities for humans, not less. We see this in our own business -- our AI agent that is integrated within our recruiter platform-includes almost 15 helpful tools to help recruiters streamline their day and bring more intelligence into the recruiting and outreach process. It creates job descriptions, job ads, and interview frameworks to screen candidates. This significantly saves time for our recruiters who can now create tasks in seconds vs hours, then keep notes, create and update candidate profiles and records, and uncover new opportunities to find and pitch more candidates to fill more roles, faster. Providing contextual training by department, updating job descriptions and career pathing to include AI upskilling, and supporting digital literacy via certification and microcredentialing will bring your people with you as true partners in the AI journey. We are not fostering youth talent pools to lead an AI-based future Talent scarcity is still very much a reality. In 2025, 71% of U.S. employers said they are struggling to find the skilled talent they need. Despite this, employers hiring for AI roles are shortchanging the entry-level and prioritizing senior and mid-level talent capable of delivering immediate business impact. Entry-level professionals have never come in with a preponderance of knowledge and wisdom -- that's what work is for -- and they are no better or worse at demystifying and harnessing AI than the rest of us. By slowing our pipeline of future talent to chase expertise today, we ignore the need for practical succession planning and employees who can build their skills over time, as AI evolves in its capabilities. We also risk contributing to an inequitable society plagued by youth unemployment, a direction most don't want to see come to pass. Hiring people to build AI is critical, of course. But so is hiring people with critical thinking, interpersonal, and artistic skills who have the ability to teach AI our values, evaluate AI insights in the context of human behavior, and devise novel ways to think about and deploy AI for profit and purpose. AI is transforming the way we work by the day, and the level of enthusiasm and experimentation is inspiring. Now is the time to keep in mind that human workers are still our most valuable asset. Let's not get so caught up in the "need for speed" that we neglect the essential contributions of people. Box Out: A Framework for Moving Forward Beyond addressing these challenges, organizations can think about AI implementation through what we call our 3D framework: DO -- Be more effective day-to-day: This is about streamlining operations and reducing friction. It may mean AI does some tasks that are repeatable, process driven and do not require human ingenuity. DISCOVER -- Reveal insights at speed: AI excels at data-driven decision making and pattern recognition that humans might miss. Integrating AI to analyze and think doesn't mean less time spent by humans, it just means sharper, more accurate insights that humans can use to make better decisions. DISRUPT -- Co-create new value: This is where AI and humans together generate new possibilities, not just better processes. Organizations need to be thinking and talking to their people about the work they are doing to ensure AI disrupts as much as the DO -- this is the energizing, growth focused work that creates something neither humans nor AI could accomplish alone.

Investing in early-in-career talent is vital to win the AI race

AI is fundamentally changing how we work. People will increasingly oversee more AI agents, changing the way we think about teams. Business leaders must shape what's next -- not shrink from it. From job elimination to job evolution EIC employees are AI natives who are already leading the transformation. They intuitively engage with tech, bring creative agility, and have the curiosity needed to thrive in fast-changing environments. According to the World Economic Forum, job loss between 2025 and 2030 will be more than offset by new roles, leading to a net gain of 78 million jobs. As some roles and tasks phase out, new ones emerge that require skills like AI and data fluency, creative thinking, resilience, and curiosity.