Microsoft and LinkedIn Release the 2024 Work Trend Index

As AI becomes ubiquitous in the workplace, employees and businesses are under extreme pressure to show immediate ROI; however, many lack a plan and vision for an AI-driven workplace.

To help leaders and organizations overcome AI inertia, Microsoft and LinkedIn jointly released the’ 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report, “AI at Work Is Here. Now Comes the Hard Part.” The report surveyed 31,000 people across 31 countries, identified labor and hiring trends from LinkedIn, and analyzed trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals. The data points that followed contain insights every leader and professional needs to know—and actions they can take—when it comes to AI’s implications for work. The data points offer great insights to leaders and industry professionals when it comes to AI’s implications for work.

Employees want AI at work — and won’t wait for companies to catch up

People are overwhelmed with digital work pressure, and they are turning to AI for relief. Without guidance or clearance from the top, employees are taking things into their own hands and keeping AI use under wraps.

Research shows that AI is being woven into the workplace at an unexpected scale. As of today, 75 percent of knowledge workers use AI at work, out of which 46 percent of users started using it in less than six months ago.

Users claim that AI is helping them save time (90 percent), focus on the most important task  (85 percent), be more creative (84 percent), and enjoy their workspace with less pressure (83 percent). Moreover, 78 percent of AI users are Bringing Their Own AI (BYOAI) tools to work — it’s even more common in small and medium-sized companies (80 percent).  And it’s not just Gen Z — BYOAI cuts across all generations.

This approach means missing out on the benefits that come from strategic AI use at scale. It also puts company data at risk in an environment where leaders’ number one concern for the year ahead is cybersecurity and data privacy.

For employees, AI raises the bar and breaks the career ceiling

It’s been observed that AI is impacting the job market to a huge extent.  A recent, research offers a more nuanced view: – (a) there is a hidden talent shortage, (b) employees are itching for a career change, and (c) there is a massive opportunity for those willing to skill up on AI. 

Around 46 percent of professionals say they’re considering quitting in the year ahead — an all-time high since the Great Reshuffle of 2021. Whereas in the US, LinkedIn studies show a 14 percent increase in job applications per role since last fall, with 85 percent of professionals considering a new job this year.

On the other hand, 55 percent of leaders say they are concerned about having enough talent to fill roles in the year ahead. These leaders sit across different functions. However, the number jumps to 60 percent or higher for those in cybersecurity, engineering, and creative design.

Interestingly, around 66 percent of leaders say they wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills.  While 71 percent say they’d rather hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced candidate. And when it comes to junior candidates’ 77 percent of leaders feel that, with AI, early in career, the desired talent will be given greater responsibilities.

Likewise, as leaders recognize the value of bringing on new employees with AI aptitude, they’re missing the value of developing their own people. Around 45 percent of US executives are not currently investing in AI tools or products for employees. Meanwhile, only 39 percent of people globally who use AI at work have gotten AI training from their company. On the other hand, only 25 percent of the companies plan to offer training on generative AI this year, further cementing this training deficit.

Yet, interestingly, professionals aren’t waiting for official guidance or training – they are upskilling by themselves. In the past six months, the use of LinkedIn Learning courses designed to build AI aptitude has spiked 160 percent among non-technical professionals, with roles like project managers, architects, and administrative assistants looking to skill up the most.

In all, it is going to be a two-way approach. Organizations that empower employees with AI tools and training will attract the best talent, and professionals who upskill themselves in AI will have a competitive edge over others.

The rise of the AI power user, and what they reveal about the future

During the research, four types of AI users were identified – from skeptics who rarely use AI to power users who use it extensively, with novices and explorers in between.

Power users are extremely familiar with AI. They use AI more regularly at work than other users. Power users feel that AI makes their overwhelming workload more manageable. It boosts their creativity, improves productivity, and makes them feel more confident and motivated to work on more.

These power users tend to research and try new prompts. They make it a priority to learn more about AI and regularly experiment with different ways of using AI. In fact, before starting a task, they ask themselves, “Could AI help me with this?”. They start their workday with AI and prepare for the upcoming tasks for the next workday. Moreover, they share prompts and tips on AI usage with co-workers.

Power users have also reoriented their work patterns in fundamental ways. As per research they are (56 percent) more likely to use AI to catch up on missed meetings, to analyze information (51 percent), to design visual content (49 percent), to interact with customers (49 percent), and to brainstorm or problem-solve (37 percent) important tasks/projects. Moreover, they are (66 percent) more likely to redesign their business processes and workflows with AI.

In simple words, power users see AI as a new way to do their job and are reprogramming the way they work.

The research also shows that power users are empowered by a different kind of organization. Most of them (61 percent) have heard about the importance of using generative AI at work from their CEO/CTO, while some of them (53 percent) receive encouragement from the leadership team. Simultaneously, a handful of them are more likely to receive tailored AI training for their specific role or function.

Microsoft is announcing Copilot for Microsoft 365 innovations to help people get started with AI

According to Microsoft, Copilot is a pioneering personal AI chat assistant, powered by the latest OpenAI models.  Copilot will help users be smarter, more productive, more creative, and more connected to the people and things around them.

It will be a simple and seamless experience, all available in Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and the web browser i.e. Edge and Bing. It will work as an app or reveal itself when you need it with a right click.

LinkedIn has also introduced over 50 free learning courses to empower professionals at all levels, to help them advance their AI aptitude.

What can CTOs and business leaders learn from this report?

The challenge ahead is to boost the enthusiasm of AI into fruitful business impact. AI transformation will look different for each organization, however, here are a few steps every CTO and business leader can take: 

Identify a business problem, then apply AI: First, identify a need and a desired outcome – the key is to pick a process and apply AI.

Take a top-down, bottom-up approach:  Go from experimentation to transformation and engage at every level of the organization, from the top leaders to the entry-level employees, to get better clarity on the use of AI.

Prioritize training: In this new digital world, AI skills rival experience – hence offer tailored AI training for specific roles, functions, and use cases. 

Shift in perspective: AI should be about doing new work, not more of the same work. Think about how you and your team can achieve what was previously impossible. 

In brief

AI is already helping people be more creative and productive. Soon, becoming an AI-fueled organization will likely be a matter of survival. It requires evaluating each condition – on how humans and machines interact within work environments.