New data shows that most employees are experimenting with AI and developing their skills—Now, the task of each leader is to direct this experimentation to business impact.
REDMOND, Wash., May 8, 2024 — On Wednesday, Microsoft Corp. and LinkedIn released the 2024 Work Trends Index, a joint report on the state of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace titled “AI at work is here. Now comes the hard part”. The research—based on a survey of 31,000 people in 31 countries, job and hiring trends on LinkedIn, productivity signals from Microsoft 365, and studies with Fortune 500 customers—shows how, in just one year, AI is influencing in the way people work, lead and hire around the world. Microsoft also announced new capabilities in Copilot for Microsoft 365, and LinkedIn offered more than 50 learning courses for its Premium subscribers, designed to boost the AI skills of professionals at all levels.[1]
The data is clear: 2024 is the year AI at work becomes real. The use of generative AI at work has almost doubled in the last six months. LinkedIn is seeing a significant increase in professionals adding AI skills to their profiles, with the majority of leaders saying they wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills. However, many leaders are concerned that their companies lack an AI vision, and employees are bringing their own AI tools to work. Leaders now face the difficult part of any technology disruption: moving from experimentation to tangible business impact.
“AI democratizes knowledge across the workforce,” said Satya Nadella, president and CEO of Microsoft. “Our latest research highlights the opportunity for every organization to apply this technology to make better decisions, collaborate—and ultimately, achieving business results.”
The report highlights three key insights that every leader and professional should know about the impact of AI on work and the labor market in the coming year:
- Employees want AI at work—and they won’t wait for companies to catch up: 75% of knowledge workers now use AI at work. Employees, many of them struggling to keep up with the pace and volume of work, say AI saves time, stimulates creativity and allows them to focus on their most important work. However, while 79% of leaders agree that AI adoption is critical to staying competitive, 59% worry about quantifying the productivity gains of AI, and 60% say their company lacks of a vision and a plan to implement it. Therefore, employees are taking the initiative. 78% of AI users are bringing their own tools to work—“Bring Your Own AI” (BYOAI)—losing the benefits that come from strategically using AI on a large scale and putting company data at risk. The opportunity for every leader is to channel this momentum into business impact at scale.
- For employees, AI raises the bar and breaks the career ceiling: While AI and job losses are important topics for many, the data offers a more nuanced view — with a hidden talent shortage, employees considering a career change, and a huge opportunity for those willing to train in AI. Most leaders (55%) are concerned about having enough talent to fill positions this year, with leaders in cybersecurity, engineering and creative design feeling the pressure the most. And the professionals are watching. 46% globally are considering quitting next year — marking an all-time high since the Great Shakeup of 2021. A separate LinkedIn study found the numbers in the U.S. are even higher, with 85% considering changes in his carrer. While two-thirds of leaders (66%) would not hire someone without AI skills, only 39% of users have received AI training from their company, while just 25% of companies expect to offer it this year. Therefore, professionals are acquiring skills on their own. Through the end of last year, we’ve seen a 142x increase in LinkedIn members adding AI skills like Copilot and ChatGPT to their profiles, and a 160% increase in non-technical professionals using LinkedIn Learning courses to develop their AI skills. In a world where mentions of AI in LinkedIn job postings drive a 17% increase in job applications, it’s a two-way street: Organizations that empower employees with AI tools and training will attract the best talent, and professionals who acquire skills will have the advantage.
- The rise of the power user AI—and what they reveal about the future: In the research, four types of AI users emerged—from skeptics who rarely use it to advanced users who use it extensively. Compared to skeptics, AI power users have fundamentally reoriented their workdays, reimagining business processes and saving more than 30 minutes a day. More than 90% of power users say AI makes their overwhelming workload more manageable and their work more enjoyable, but they don’t do it alone. These users are 61% more likely to have heard from their CEO about the importance of using generative AI at work, 53% more likely to receive encouragement from leaders to consider how AI can transform their role, and a 35% more likely to receive AI training tailored to their specific role or function.
“AI is redefining work and it’s clear we need new approaches,” said Ryan Roslansky, CEO of LinkedIn. “It is the leaders who build for agility rather than stability and invest in skills development internally, who will give their organizations a competitive advantage and create more efficient, engaged and equitable teams.”
Microsoft also announced innovations in Copilot for Microsoft 365with the goal of helping people get started with AI:
- New autocomplete feature is coming to suggestion boxes. Copilot will now offer to auto-complete user suggestions in the text box. This will help users who already have part of a request get a more detailed and robust request.
- When users know what they want, but can’t find the right words, the new rewrite from Copilot will transform a basic request into a more complete one with just one click.
- catch up, is a new chat interface that displays personal information based on recent activity and provides responsive recommendations. For example, Copilot will identify an upcoming meeting and provide relevant information to help participants prepare.
- New capabilities in Copilot Lab will allow people to create, publish and manage custom requests in Copilot, tailored to their specific team, role and function.
These features will be available in the coming months.
Additionally, LinkedIn offers tools for AI to help you advance your career:
- For skill development. LinkedIn Learning offers more than 22 thousand courses, including more than 600 on AI, to develop skills in generative AI, empower your teams to make AI-based business decisions, or simply keep your skills sharp. This includes more than 50 new AI courses for professionals of all levels. The new courses are free and available to everyone until July 8. Additionally, our new AI-powered coaching on LinkedIn Learning helps students find the content they need to develop their skills faster, with greater personalization and guided conversational learning.
- For professional advancement. LinkedIn Premium subscribers can receive AI-based personalized recommendations in your LinkedIn feed (in posts, articles or videos) these recommendations will help you in your career daily, providing you with relevant ideas and actions.
- For job search: If you are looking to change jobs, it is now easier and faster to find your ideal job. With new tools powered by AI, you can assess your suitability for a role in seconds based on your experience and skills, receive advice on how to stand out, and see tips for developing skills and connecting with professionals in your network. So far, over 90% of subscribers who have had access to these tools have found them to be helpful in their job search.
For more information, visit the Official Microsoft Blog, 2024 Work Trend Index Report, and head to LinkedIn to hear more from the Economist, head of the company, Karin Kimbrough.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates AI-powered platforms and tools to deliver innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI widely available, responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
About LinkedIn
LinkedIn connects professionals around the world to make them more productive and successful, transforming the way companies hire, learn, market, and sell. Our vision is to create economic opportunities for every member of the global workforce through the continued development of the world’s First Economic Chart. LinkedIn has more than 1 billion members and has offices around the world
[1] The courses will be available for free until July 8, 2024.
Tags: AI, Job Trends Index, LinkedIn, Microsoft Copilot
