HR leaders struggle to assess skills for AI-enabled work
Four in five HR and talent leaders face challenges assessing AI skills as automation changes jobs and career paths.
HR and talent leaders are struggling to assess the skills employees need as AI changes work.
A survey of senior HR leaders, talent acquisition managers and L&D professionals in the UK and US by Talogy, found 78% faced challenges assessing AI skills. Just 38% said they felt 'very prepared' to adapt job descriptions and career paths for AI-enabled work.
AI is already affecting work across respondents' organisations, with 95% reporting that it was automating work to at least a moderate degree.
Existing assessment frameworks are widely used, with 87% of respondents reporting their use for most or all roles. Respondents cited generic frameworks and a lack of role-specific insight among their main limitations, alongside insufficient assessment of transferable skills.
78% said assessments of AI fluency should extend beyond proficiency with AI tools to capabilities including critical judgement and data literacy.
AI tool proficiency was the capability most frequently identified as important by respondents, at 48%, followed by data literacy at 43%, adaptability at 42%, problem solving at 40% and judgement and critical thinking at 36%.
The results put technical AI proficiency alongside broader capabilities that affect how employees use and evaluate AI rather than treating AI skills as a standalone technical discipline.
Only 38% of respondents said their organisations were very prepared to adapt established job descriptions and career paths, raising questions, again, about how quickly talent and learning practices are changing alongside workplace adoption of AI.
'The challenge organisations now face is defining, assessing and developing the relevant transferable skills needed to drive better outcomes alongside AI,' said Dawn Curless, VP, global marketing at Talogy.
The research covered 207 senior HR leaders, talent acquisition managers and L&D professionals in the UK and US across manufacturing, retail and commerce, financial services and fintech, healthcare, technology and the public sector and government.