How AI is changing the role of HR to keep business aligned with employee needs

India is going through a digital boom due to the increased adoption of technology arising from COVID-19 led lockdowns. This has forced many businesses to change their ways.

Clothing companies need to ascertain the changing fashion as more people work from home. More people have hopped onto food delivery apps, forcing restaurants to switch to accommodate online orders. Food companies are focusing on plant-based alternatives. Telehealth is growing. Alternative energies are are gaining traction amid climate change concerns.

This also implies that the skills that these companies need are also evolving quickly. In a recent presentation on the future of work, Gartner said that about one in three skills listed in a 2017 job posting is now obsolete.

Businesses now have the technology to adapt to these rapid changes. artificial intelligence (AI_ has progressed to the point that it can analyse such a huge amount of data to see what jobs a person is capable of doing next, even if the individual has never done the job before.

In other words, AI can help predict your next two jobs. The AI technology knows “adjacent skills”: say if an individual knows computer language A, that individual is very likely to be able to learn language B.

Some companies need more data scientists to determine who in they can train in their workforce for the same. This has reduced recruiting costs and been a boost to employees wanting to build their careers.

Consider a hot field like cybersecurity. Companies can see who in their workforce or their network would excel in a cybersecurity role based on similar knowledge, skills, and potential. Perhaps, for example, it could be some of the company’s financial auditors, who are used to digging and looking to see what’s out of order.

These technologies and this way of thinking is a benefit to both employers and employees. Employees get to try new things, gain new skills, and in some cases avoid restructuring by redeploying their skills in new areas.

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Unlocking people’s potential

For many years, a lot of talent remained untapped. Let’s take an example. Some companies see hundreds of people apply for one position A million resumes are sitting in the database, and have people with incredible skills who are untapped, while the company struggles to fill jobs!

The company doesn’t have a good way to match someone to a job, and doesn’t know what skills and experience that ex-applicant has gained in the meantime.

AI can take a look at every single person in your network of past applicants, as well as your past employees, and people who have been referred to your jobs through the years. AI automatically refreshes people’s profiles and fills in information about each person, based on publicly available data.

HR technology is no longer behind the times. It’s helping companies rapidly move into new areas. From finding hidden gems who expressed interest in the company and attracting people who were not responsive to previous outreaches to making the hiring process more inclusive, AI can help both companies and employees.