Lareina Yee
McKinsey commentary
Senior partner and McKinsey Global Institute director
Although we remain in the early stages of gen AI, we’re beginning to get a glimpse into the ways the technology is affecting the workforce. A common fear about the technology is that it will be a job killer, as organizations offload tasks historically done by employees to increasingly powerful AI platforms. But our survey suggests that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, a plurality of respondents anticipate no immediate change to the size of their workforces. And while respondents expect lower head counts in some functions—such as service operations and supply chain/inventory management—in other functions—including software engineering and product development—respondents are actually anticipating an increase in the number of employees.
Meantime, the difficulty of finding AI talent, while still considerable, is beginning to ease. Perhaps more people are taking the initiative to enhance their own capabilities. Or it could be that corporate investments in upskilling are beginning to bear fruit. Both of these somewhat counterintuitive trends serve to reinforce the fact that we are still in the early days of the AI revolution—the long-term workforce effects are still only beginning to take shape.