HR leaders accelerate reskilling as AI adoption grows

Salesforce research has found that HR leaders are preparing to reskill workers as the use of AI agents rapidly increases across the workforce.

The study, which surveyed HR C-suite leaders from Canada and the United States, indicates that 21% of workers will be reassigned to new roles in response to the growing adoption of AI agents. The findings show that the integration of AI is prompting significant changes to organisational structures as companies adapt to the digital labour landscape.

According to the survey, global HR leaders forecast a 327% growth in AI agent adoption by 2027. This anticipated expansion is expected to substantially affect the workforce, with both reskilling and redeployment of employees identified as key strategies for managing the shift.

"We're in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime transformation of work with digital labor that is unlocking new levels of productivity, autonomy, and agency at a speed never before thought possible. Every industry must redesign jobs, reskill, and redeploy talent — and every employee will need to learn new human, agent, and business skills to thrive in the digital labor revolution," Nathalie Scardino, President and Chief People Officer at Salesforce, commented on the implications of the research.

An essential finding of the survey is that 74% of HR leaders are already engaging in reskilling initiatives or planning to do so to prepare employees to collaborate with AI agents. Of those surveyed, 16% have started reskilling efforts, while 58% intend to implement reskilling programmes in the future. The goal is to ensure the workforce has the necessary capabilities to thrive in an environment where humans and AI interact closely.

The study also highlights the changing nature of job roles in the era of AI. HR leaders expect that introducing AI agents will increase demand for soft skills and roles focused on relationship-building, with 74% of respondents identifying these abilities as essential for the future workforce. This shift reflects a view that, while AI automation may take over specific tasks, human skills will remain highly valuable in areas requiring empathy, collaboration, and interpersonal communication.

The projected benefits of AI agent adoption also extend to productivity and cost management. Surveyed HR leaders predict that AI agents will boost employee productivity by 28%. Additionally, they expect labour costs to fall by 16% as digital labour becomes more prevalent within organisations.

"The survey indicates that the current generation of leaders will be the last to manage human-only workforces. Business leaders are pressured to navigate their organizations through growing uncertainty and complexity. We are at a pivotal moment for the future of work, which depends on embracing AI adoption with a solid framework for human-AI agent collaboration," Greg Shewmaker, CEO of r.Potential and a Salesforce customer, commented on the findings.

The overarching sentiment among surveyed HR leaders is that digital labour will shape the future of work. As AI agents become commonplace in the workplace, the dual approach of reskilling and redeployment will be necessary. The shift is expected to affect every industry as companies capitalise on AI's benefits while equipping employees with the skills to collaborate with new digital colleagues.