As the threat of automation continues to loom over the workforce, a recent survey conducted by Jefferies suggests that staff may be motivated to upskill and increase their productivity if they perceive their jobs to be at risk.
According to the poll of 569 people in the US, 82% of respondents said that if they feared they could be replaced in their current role, it would motivate them to improve their skillset.
The net effect? A focus on education, including returning to higher ed or using upskill platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning.
Interestingly, employees with knowledge of ChatGPT, an AI technology, were found to be more concerned about workforce automation, according to data from the US investment bank.
Not worried, motivated
Of those who had heard of ChatGPT, 37% were worried they could lose their current job due to automation, compared to only 23% of those who had not heard of ChatGPT.
Jefferies noted that people felt AI tools served as both a competitive force and a helpful virtual implement for workers.
As such, it sees a tailwind for ed-tech companies as workers lean into professional development, particularly in the form of reskill/upskill platforms such as the aforementioned Udemy.
While automation may be a growing concern for employees, the data also revealed some potential positive outcomes. Workers who are motivated to upskill could result in a more educated workforce, leading to a rise in the education industry.
Familiar with AI
The survey also showed that almost 50% of the full-time office worker panel had heard of ChatGPT, with 25% reporting using the service.
Impressively, 46% of those who have heard of ChatGPT have already tried the product, Jefferies found.
Consumers were also impressed by the ChatGPT technology, with 78% reporting that they were either "very impressed" or "impressed", it added.
Positive impressions by early users suggest that users will continue to experiment with the tool.
The fear of automation is not universal, however, as Jefferies found that remote workers were less worried about losing their job due to automation than in-office workers. Only 20% of remote workers surveyed were concerned compared to 32% of in-office workers.
New skills
The bank also explored which skills workers identified as necessary.
Among the respondents, 63% of fully remote workers identified as technically skilled compared to 48% of fully in-office workers.
The investment bank was keen to understand which tasks will be automated vs which skills will remain necessary for workers.
“Overall, the Jefferies survey indicated that automation could lead to a more educated and skilled workforce,” said Manos Halicioglu, Proactive’s technology analyst.
“While there are concerns around job security, this could result in an increasingly competitive and productive workforce.
“As AI technology continues to develop, it is clear that the workforce will need to adapt to stay competitive.”