95% of companies looking to expand their workforce due to automation

A report by ManpowerGroup has found that a large number of companies are looking to expand their workforce due to advances in automation.

Recent debates have suggested that artificial intelligence may have an impact on jobs negatively, with automation replacing current jobs. However recent reports have shown that this could potentially open up new opportunities.

Mark Cahill, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup UK, commented: “The narrative around automation and AI ‘stealing our jobs’ couldn’t be further from the truth. As robots enter the workforce, they are transforming jobs, but equally creating more employment opportunities as well. Every industry needs to accept this revolution is here to stay. Employers need to work out how to manage the shift and get humans to collaborate with machines.

Through this report, they also found that production, manufacturing, finance, accounting, and IT departments are set to experience the biggest increase in employment. However, through this research, they also found that Administrative and office support is set to be the biggest workforce reduction.

Mark continued by discussing that there needs to be a change in learning, saying “We have to re-examine how we approach learning. At ManpowerGroup, we’re reskilling people to transition for jobs in high-growth industries including cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and autonomous driving. By focusing on upskilling people with practical steps at scale, people and organisations alike can embrace rather than fight against the machines”

Although it is a positive signal that such a high number of employers are looking to invest in a larger workforce. It seems as if a number of resources are needed to invest in learning. As in this report, they found that by 2022, 54% of employees would require reskilling or upskilling.

Sharon Looney, Chief Human Resource Officer at CoreHR believes that this introduction of automation can only be a huge step in the right direction for HR, she says. “Automation does not have to mean job losses. Some studies have shown that these new technologies can significantly improve current working practices. In fact, technology can take over employees’ routine tasks, empowering them to develop and deploy problem-solving, adaptability, and creativity skills. When utilised strategically, cognitive technologies, machine learning and advanced algorithms can create a better employee experience and candidate journey.”

In addition to these recent reports. AXA have recently announced their advancements into automation, they have recently deployed their new AI bots in order to control admin work. These bots are projected to save more than 18,000 man-hours a year.

Waseem Malik, Executive Managing Director of Claims at AXA UK said “We are delighted to welcome Harry, Bert and Lenny to our admin teams and are pleased that their hard work is freeing up our human workforce to tackle more interesting analytical tasks. The bots have been warmly received by their new colleagues and we are already looking at new tasks for them to take on, as well as other areas of the business where we might employ similar”