With AI taking entry-level jobs, critical-thinking key

AI could eliminate 56 percent of entry-level jobs within five years.

This news headline can make your heart miss a beat. The forecast disrupts the definition of work and upends our sense of the process of building a career.

Business executives believe that 47 percent of their workforce will be unprepared for the future of work and 87 percent of organizations will struggle to find talent with AI skills, according to the edX 2023 AI Survey, the for-profit online education platform founded by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Forbes reported in October that 65 percent of employers are using AI to screen and reject candidates. AI is imbedded in the hiring process in the following areas: 83 percent resume review, 69 percent candidate assessment analysis, 47 percent social media and personal website scans, and 19 percent interviewing. AI can be tailored to profile job candidates in matching work skills and fit with the organization’s culture.

This January, Fast Company profiled the Future of Jobs Report from the World Economic Forum highlighting the most in-demand skills. The phrase, “skill instability” illustrates how 39 percent of existing skills will be obsolete within the next five years. With AI automating many everyday work tasks, 41 percent of employers are intending to downsize their work force.

Yet, there is hope! The World Economic Forum report explains that the human skills of critical thinking and creative problem solving are increasingly essential in this transformational economy. The character traits of resilience, flexibility and agility are most valued, according to the WEF survey of seven out of ten companies.

How can a high school or college student be ready for this new world of work that will greet them by the time they graduate? It is important to develop AI literacy skills (upskills) with free online classes from LinkedIn, Coursera and Elements for AI, according to Reach Capital, an early-stage investor in learning, health and work industries. These credentials can all be listed on the student’s resume and LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn featured a McKinsey Consulting study from June, 2023 reporting 60 to 70 percent of a worker’s tasks can be automated by AI in the future. Currently, around 25 percent of “total work time” consists of using AI for natural language-related work, such as software engineering, research and development, and marketing and sales. However, these jobs still need people who have engaged-communication styles, empathy in responding to a range of circumstances and critical thinking skills to work alongside AI.

In addition, building experiences with human interaction and problem solving is critical for adding value to group projects and clear communication, both written and verbal. Last year, the National Association of Colleges and Employers surveyed 255 employers identifying three top “competencies” for today’s job candidates: communication, teamwork and critical thinking.

For example, AI is quickly spreading into the fields of accounting and computer science. Pushing out of your comfort zone to take classes in English and Sociology or volunteering on a political campaign can expand knowledge and experiences.

For high school students, participating in drama performances, such as Rice Stunt Nite (nearly 100-year tradition of original skits) or CVU Performing Arts (band, choral music, drama), provides hands-on interactions with many moving pieces and skillsets needed to bring a huge production together on a timeline. Working as a team to power through challenges using creativity and accountability are applicable to the workplace.

Also, joining high school activity competitions develops teamwork and initiative. CVU’s Engineering and Robotics Club and Rice’s Model United Nations and Debate Club all foster experiential learning to extend classroom topics into real-world experiences.

Many popular high school clubs that students enjoy can be continued into college. For example, the Women in Business club at CVU is also active at various colleges. The mission of the George Washington University Women in Business is to “bring together students from all majors, career interests and aspirations to achieve personal and professional success … seeking to provide opportunities for mentorship, networking, leadership and community engagement.”

AI is not a substitute for human ingenuity and teamwork. Instead, people need to develop new skills to build upon core expertise.

With giant shifts in the workforce, social engagement is a differentiator that can help students avoid being outpaced by AI. People created technology and must learn to work alongside it, rather than being replaced by it.

(Margo Bartsch founded College Essay Coach, a full-service college admission business, and has been an adjunct professor in business at Champlain College and at Middlebury College.)