Most employers in India confident about AI fuelling job growth in 1-5 years: Report

NEW DELHI: With Artificial Intelligence (AI) set to revamp India's recruitment landscape, 85 per cent of employers interviewed said they are expecting AI to create new jobs in 1-5 years, a report said on Thursday.

Employers also believed that AI could improve the nature of employees' tasks (85 per cent) and improve job security and opportunities for career development for their employees (77 per cent), according to a report by global job site Indeed.

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A majority of job seekers (63 per cent) also said that they were excited about the potential impact, with 53 per cent agreeing that AI is likely to create more jobs, it added. “This report reveals that job seekers are not only aware of the promise of AI but are also excited about its potential.

It demonstrates that jobseekers are ready to embrace AI as a force for positive change in their careers. However, employers must work together to devise frameworks that allow the effective use of AI in order to facilitate technological advancement,” Indeed India Head of Sales Sashi Kumar said.

The report is based on a global survey conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Indeed amongst 7,275 employers and employees across seven markets, of which 1,142 employers and jobseekers were surveyed in India. The report further found that while Indian jobseekers are embracing the potential benefits of AI systems and tools, they also have concerns.

Key worries include the need for reskilling or upskilling (43 per cent), potential job losses in their industry or profession (29 per cent), and ethical considerations (20 per cent), it said.

Additionally, jobseekers also expressed apprehensions about negative impacts on their work wellbeing (17 per cent) and the possibility of bias (15 per cent), it added. Over 90 per cent of HR/talent acquisition leaders think AI systems and tools will make their job easier and 86 per cent believe that AI can improve the hiring and candidate experience, said the report.

Around 81 per cent employers also are optimistic that AI systems and tools will allow them to focus on the more 'human' aspects of their job, the report added. It further said that employers and employees in India are by far the most bullish on AI, with 98 per cent of HR professionals and 91 per cent of job seekers saying they're currently using AI tools for work.

In comparison, more than one-third (35 per cent) of HR professionals and over half (53 per cent) of jobseekers in Japan say they aren't using AI tools professionally at all. The case is almost the opposite in France, where 30 per cent of jobseekers and 25 per cent of HR professionals said they are fearful of the technology, it stated.

Other strong adopters of AI are the US and Canada used by 92 per cent of HR professionals and the UK (88 per cent), said the report. However, these countries see some resistance from jobseekers with 41 per cent in the UK, 30 per cent in the US and 42 per cent in Canada stating that they do not use AI at all.