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People are confused and don't know what to expect
According to Bersin, the past year has been eventful in the political and economic spheres, which has affected the psychological state of people. A global study conducted by the non-profit organization Six Seconds shows that the world has entered a state of "emotional recession." Since 2019, emotional intelligence has been steadily declining. People are experiencing less and less life satisfaction and empathy, and they are finding it increasingly difficult to control their emotions and cope with stress, increasing the risk of burnout. This is especially noticeable among Zoomers—the generation born between 1997 and 2012. Maintaining emotional stability and purpose in an uncertain world is proving significantly more difficult for them than for older generations. One of the main sources of stress for workers is the fear of job loss. According to a survey of 240,000 employees conducted by the international recruitment agency The Adecco Group, 40% of respondents express concern about job security. The main reason for this concern is the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Employees want support from their employers in the form of retraining programs to help them remain competitive in the labor market. At the same time, according to Bersin, employers are noticing that employees are leaving their jobs less frequently, and few are considering changing jobs in the current economic climate.
Employers Need Frontline Employees, While the Demand for Managers Is Declining
According to Bersin, there is a significant gap in the labor market. Employers are showing high interest in healthcare workers, laborers, construction workers, and other frontline employees who directly handle products, provide services, or interact with customers. Businesses are making significant efforts to attract and retain such personnel. In an increasingly competitive environment, companies are developing strategies to improve working conditions and make jobs more attractive.
White-collar workers, including office workers and those engaged in knowledge work, face significant challenges in the labor market. According to marketer Josh Bersin, finding a new job is now becoming more difficult for marketers, sales managers, and engineers. Since the beginning of 2022, the IT sector has seen numerous mass layoffs, resulting in over 150,000 job losses. This problem isn't limited to the tech industry; major companies like McDonald's, Disney, and FedEx are also laying off hundreds of employees. Bersin points out that the main factors in the decline in the number of white-collar job openings are the development of artificial intelligence and the automation of business processes, which leads to the optimization of jobs and a decrease in demand for traditional professions.
Bersin argues that the current situation highlights the need for companies not only to implement artificial intelligence and automation, but also to fundamentally rethink the organization of workplaces and business processes in light of AI. It is important to encourage internal mobility, adaptability, and continuous development so that artificial intelligence does not replace humans, but rather works in tandem with them, expanding their capabilities and significantly increasing efficiency. This approach will allow companies to use resources more efficiently and achieve high results in a rapidly changing market.
AI is advancing so fast that humans are having to catch up
According to Josh Bersin, in just one year, we have seen a significant shift from artificial intelligence (AI) being used by just 5% of companies to its adoption by 95% of organizations. This rapid growth has come as a surprise to many, leading to a number of challenges. One of the main challenges is the lack of preparedness among employees and managers for such changes. This can lead to difficulties in understanding and using new technologies. There is also a shortage of qualified professionals who can effectively implement AI into business processes. In addition, many companies face ethical and legal issues associated with the use of AI, which require careful analysis and regulation. As a result, the successful integration of AI requires the creation of the appropriate infrastructure and training of personnel, which is key to the effective use of technology in modern business.
- Lack of electricity and computing power to support AI. According to the analytics company Deloitte, in 2025, data centers supporting AI will consume approximately 536 TWh, and by 2030 this figure will double to 1,065 TWh (for comparison, the Russian power grid generated 1,180 TWh of electricity in 2024). The demand for electricity is growing primarily due to the widespread use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI): processing queries (for example, generating text or images) requires far more resources than training a neural network. According to Bersin, this requires enormous investments in the creation of energy infrastructure that will provide data centers with electricity.
- Lack of laws regulating the use of intellectual property by neural networks. To train and subsequently generate results, the AI uses vast amounts of data, much of which is proprietary intellectual property. However, the legal framework still lacks clear guidelines for the fair use of AI training data and protects the rights of content creators. "The days of media companies and YouTube channels are numbered. This problem also affects online learning providers, educational institutions, and many other intellectual property owners. Laws need to be updated," Bersin writes. Autonomous agents still require refinement, configuration, and human oversight. Autonomous agents are AI-based programs that are, in theory, capable of performing complex tasks with minimal human oversight, while learning and improving themselves. However, any user who has ever tried to solve a problem with an AI bot supporting a service understands that perfection is still a long way off. It is still unknown what AI is capable of in the field of management. Can AI completely replace human managers? Time will tell. However, AI is already capable of, for example, assessing staff productivity or creating development plans for employees, notes Josh Bersin. Moreover, recruiting bots are already on the market—for example, such tools are being developed by Paradox.
- There's too much hype around AI solutions. At the same time, according to Bersin, it's impossible to predict which advanced technology providers will prove successful in the long term and which will prove unviable. He sees the solution in trying different options and searching for highly profitable tools that actually work and deliver value.
Bersin expresses optimism despite the challenges facing the HR field. He believes that current circumstances require HR professionals to evolve and adapt to new conditions. The spread of artificial intelligence, changes in the labor market, and employee emotional well-being—according to the expert, all of this will require HR professionals to be quick learners and flexible in 2025. They must be able to simplify complex processes, provide business advice, and effectively manage employee stress.