According to a new IBM report, 40 percent of current employees will need to retrain over the next three years.

A new report by tech giant IBM concludes that 40 percent of current employees will need upskilling over the next three years. The reason for this is no longer surprising: the rapid rise of generative AI. The new report draws on two previous surveys: one of 3,000 executives in 28 countries and another of 22,000 employees from 22 countries.

No job loss, but job change

What is not the case, this report points out, is that people have to fear that their jobs will be replaced by AI. They just have to adapt and redefine their role. Because it is more likely that employees who use AI will replace those who do not. At IBM itself, however, it sounded very different a few months ago.

Not only employees have to adapt, AI is also driving companies to change their business model. The impact of AI on the role of employees and on operations are issues that now need to be reconsidered. IBM itself also plays the AI ​​card in many areas. Together with NASA, the company has now developed an open-source AI model that can analyze satellite images.

change is good

Another conclusion of the report is that companies that have completely transformed their processes to implement the new technologies perform better than simply adding to old systems. IBM sees three factors that can help companies:

• Transforming traditional processes, employee roles and structures to enable new activities and operating models
• Create a good relationship between man and machine to strengthen employee engagement
• Investing in technology that allows people to focus on more important things

Human

Given this emphasis on the human factor, it is not surprising that rethinking the role of many people will be an important area of ​​work for the foreseeable future. According to the World Bank, AI and the automation it brings will impact the role of 1.4 billion workers over the next three years. That’s a significant portion of the world’s 3.4 billion workforce.

However, many companies still find it difficult to get an overview of the talent and opportunities that they already have within the company. This is not only important for redefining existing roles, but also for knowing which people still need to be recruited.

The report shows that companies that are open to change and allow their employees to develop flexibly instead of focusing on specific skills do better, for example with 44 percent more revenue growth and 33 percent more employee engagement.

That’s not to say that every role is more technical, quite the opposite. Automation and AI ensure that even people with a low technical background can handle certain digital tasks. Part of this redefinition looks at things like time management, how employees feel about their role, and the personal importance of their job. So the human factor grows with the AI.