AI at Work: Here’s What’s Changing

2024 was a year marked by persistent economic caution, which left a sluggish jobs market with slow hiring, slower turnover, and increased competition. AI added complexity to the mix, with professionals and organizations having to adapt to the changes AI was shepherding at work. In spite of these shifts, professionals globally are pushing through, with nearly 3 out of 5 professionals globally looking for a new job in 2025.

And as AI continues to come to work, professionals and businesses must contend with this change and embrace it as they navigate what’s next. Given the complex dynamics at play, we’ve taken a closer look at the data powering this trend in our new Work Change Report: AI is Coming to Work. Here’s what we found:

Work is changing, and AI is accelerating the shifts. Professionals entering the workforce today are on pace to hold twice as many jobs over their careers compared to 15 years ago. AI adoption is expanding the boundaries of roles, enabling productivity, task rotation, and innovation. This is driving demand for adaptive talent — specifically, professionals who combine technical expertise with strong human skills. According to new LinkedIn research, HR professionals list finding candidates with the right technical (51%) and soft (45%) skills as some of the top challenges they face - and nearly two-thirds (63%) say there’s a mismatch between the skills job seekers have and the skills their organisation needs. This insight isn’t surprising given the skills needed for jobs are expected to change 70% by 2030, accelerated by rapid developments in AI.

When we look at the fastest-growing jobs in this year's Jobs on the Rise list, AI-specific roles take the top spots, highlighting the considerable shifts happening in the world of work. For instance, Artificial Intelligence Engineer is one of the fastest-growing jobs in 15 countries and ranked #1 in the Netherlands, Singapore, UK, and US.

AI creates opportunities and drives innovation. With AI's growing presence in work, we're starting to see it spread quickly regardless of geography, with the percentage of members who have added AI skills to their LinkedIn profile increasing 20x globally since 2016, from an albeit small starting point.

What’s more, we see the impact of AI spreading beyond the Tech epicenter, with the share of AI-skilled members rising across a range of industries. Even in Education, the industry adopting AI the slowest, the share of AI skilled members is up 14x over the last eight years. And in Financial Services — the industry where the rise has been fastest — has 40x the share of AI-skilled members versus 2016. 

Beyond boosting productivity, AI holds the potential to drive business growth and inspire innovation. In fact, 88% of C-suite executives view accelerating AI adoption as a priority, and 80% believe it will foster a more innovative workplace culture.

AI is here to stay. Organizations are at different stages in their AI adoption, with some just beginning and others seeing early wins. Our new report revealed that investments in AI are starting to pay off as 51% of the businesses that have adopted Generative AI (GAI) reported a revenue increase of 10% or more. By embracing AI, companies are helping employees move away from repetitive tasks to spend more time doing what matters most: closing deals and building relationships with candidates and customers.

While these changes won’t happen overnight, we’re starting to see jobs shift and new ones emerge. Additionally, the skills needed to perform many of today's jobs are changing, even when professionals are not changing jobs. And while change is hard and can create uncertainty, what is crystal clear is that the professionals and organizations that prepare for this wave of change are the ones that will come out ahead.

Dive deeper into our full report to read about all the trends we’re seeing in this emerging space and how business leaders, professionals and companies are adapting to prepare for what’s next.