Labor Day: artificial intelligence and the impact on the future of employment in Arequipa

2023-05-01 11:52:00

How close are we to having a robot as a work partner? With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), robots and automation, the world of employment has begun to transform and Arequipa is no stranger to these changes.

Many experts believe that AI will bring new opportunities. In the not-too-distant future, traditional jobs will shrink or disappear, and new jobs unimagined will open up.

Although, certainly, companies have already integrated the use of artificial intelligence into their production process, as revealed by the latest Occupational Demand Survey (2022) made to 1,040 companies in Arequipa, from different branches and with 20 or more. workers.

As detailed, 3% of companies already use artificial intelligence within their production process of goods or services. But not only that. 18% plan to use it in the next three years. While the rest do not plan to use it or do not need the information.

Likewise, the survey reveals that this technology has been used for approximately 3 years. In addition, 47.4% of workers use it at least once a week.

Artificial intelligence and employment change

With the introduction of AI, 36% of companies recognize that there will be an increase in employment. Quite the contrary for the 6% of companies that believe that work will decrease.

Similarly, companies are aware that the use of this technology will generate certain changes in the profile of their workers. For what they have planned to carry out hiring of personnel or training.

In this sense, 45% of the companies that already use AI or plan to use it plan to train their workers, while 24% consider that it will imply the rRecruitment of personnel with new skills to add to the existing ones.

Instead, 14% believe they will recruit staff to replace previous jobs. While 5% consider that they will have to hire external experts; 2% indicated that it would involve the outsourcing of some business functions. And the remaining 10% did not specify any of the above actions.

Likewise, 86% of companies expect to hire workers associated with the use of this technology. Although, at least a third of the companies (31%) consider that they will have difficulties hiring staff.

The most in-demand jobs in Arequipa

As a result of the covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis, Arequipa suffered a worrying contraction of employment. The unemployment rate for 2021 reached 6.9%. This means that around 7 out of 100 people who looked for work did not find it.

According to the results of the Occupational Demand Survey (EDO), the total demand for personnel for Arequipa would be 4,470 additional workers, for different occupations and sectors..

Although we mentioned that companies are interested in innovation and technology, it should be mentioned that they are also looking for collaborators with digital skills.

The same survey mentions that companies consider hiring 50% of their staff with some type of digital skill. In this regard, it is considered that they can operate a PC, surf the internet and search for information, manage programs and apps from a cell phone.

In the same way, they will analyze the skills or competencies for new permanent jobs. In this sense, it is observed that “teamwork” would be the most required skill in the demand for personnel, followed by communication, proactivity and initiative.

Now, the study also reveals that the occupations with the fastest growth in number of jobs, between 2015 and 2019, have been stock exchange agent, exchange and other financial servicesaccording to the electronic spreadsheet. In said period, the average annual growth was 40%.

While fastest decreasing jobs in the same period were employment agents and labor contractors, according to the Electronic Schedule. The average annual decrease in this category was 66%.