- AI skills are becoming tied to wage increases and employment opportunities
- 97% would pay higher wages to attract in-demand skills
- Four out of five companies invest in upskilling schemes
New research from HiBob has claimed that AI skills have evolved from being ‘nice to haves’ to core requirements for employers, to the point that workers with the right AI skills are most likely to get a job promotion.
The report reveals that almost two-thirds (63%) of UK companies now link AI skills to promotion decisions, with almost as many (61%) also factoring AI capabilities into regular performance reviews.
About half as many – 31% of all respondents – also link AI skills directly to pay decisions, making it a bad fiscal decision for workers not to upskill.
Companies are actively recruiting for AI skills
While resistant workers may feel the shift is unfair, it reflects similar changes from previous decades, where AI skills are increasingly treated like digital skills or spreadsheet skills.
In terms of what artificial intelligence means, workers are no longer expected to simply use artificial intelligence. Employers now want to be able to use them responsibly, effectively and consistently.
Two-fifths (41%) said that security, governance and ethics are the hardest expertise to recruit for, which makes sense because it’s an ongoing conversation that’s also happening at a much higher level, with tech giants and governments working together to minimize the negative effects of AI.
Three in four (77%) employers now believe that moderate AI proficiency will become a basic requirement within the next two years, including across non-technical roles.
This shows that the technology is expanding beyond the realms of software developers into areas such as HR, marketing, sales, operations and administration.
What does AI upskilling and implementation look like?
The data indicates that almost all (97%) organizations would pay higher wages for in-demand AI skills – 43% would pay a 10% premium for expertise in AI security, ethics and governance specifically.
Other areas that could demand a higher salary include being able to evaluate and improve AI output and automation and technical integration skills.
While it’s unclear how long employers will pay these premiums, only 3% currently say they won’t pay a premium, suggesting that at least short-term wage increases are in the cards simply from a worker’s willingness to upskill.
Fortunately, organizations are prepared to support workers who are willing to put in the work, making it a win-win situation for employees. Four out of five (82%) companies are investing in AI upskilling or retraining schemes, with funded learning programs (33%) and protected time for AI experimentation and practice (33%) emerging as the most used methods.
Almost all respondents (99%) also recognized the importance of peer coaching and knowledge sharing.
However, the report is mainly centered around white-collar workers, recognizing that senior managers are not always given the support they need to deliver these initiatives.
“The next phase of AI adoption will depend on how well companies equip their leaders to transform AI from a tool to a consistent way of working,” commented Director of Insights Ken Matos.
The ROI for companies investing in AI can also be there, with many seeing an increase in quality and accuracy (32%), compliance and risk reduction (29%), time saved (25%) and cost savings (25%).
“The challenge for organizations is to turn that expectation into something practical. That means defining what strong AI capability looks like, embedding it in roles and performance, and giving leaders the confidence to assess and develop it,” concluded Matos.
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