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By Sinazo Mkoko

Artificial intelligence (AI) will create and not destroy all jobs. This is according to Gartner, a global information technology (IT) consultant and advisory organisation that conducts research on various technologies and provides companies with insights for better decision-making and performance.

The global institution shared the future of work trends for 2024, and they found in their survey that 22% of employees expect AI to replace their job in the next five years.

The survey shows that, despite widespread concern about how GenAI may affect jobs, in the short to medium term, GenAI will replace only a few jobs. It says many jobs affected by GenAI will be redesigned. They will be given new duties, such as creating prompts for GenAI tools and reviewing and applying the results of these tools.

“The net-net is that GenAI will expand opportunities for the workforce, not reduce them. At the same time that implementing GenAI will create the need for new roles, it will also allow employers to reduce the time to a high level of proficiency with software and technology, easing the necessity of hiring talent already highly skilled in these areas.

“Gartner predicts that GenAI will play a role in 70% of text- and data-heavy tasks by 2025, up from less than 10% in 2023. The impact will be seen across organisations in various business units, including business operations, software development, sales, marketing, and customer service.”

The global firm advises that executives should adjust their goals and expectations for GenAI as tools, roles, and workflows evolve and employee proficiency improves.

Read the latest edition of the Top 500 publication here and learn more about SA’s best-managed companies 2023:

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Another future of work trend that Gatner predicts for the future of work in 2024 is that the four-day workweek (4DWW) will go from radical to routine.

According to its survey, 63% of candidates identified a “four-day workweek for the same pay” as the most appealing new and creative benefit. To address the talent deficit, organisations are adopting flexible work models to better satisfy employee demands.

“Embracing a 4DWW will require organisations to rethink the cadence of the workweek. Not just in-office time, but all working time will need to be organised thoughtfully and with an eye towards getting the most out of the time employees are together.

“This means being more explicit about when focus time is scheduled and when and where collaboration, brainstorming, and feedback sessions take place. This intentional approach to time not only facilitates a 4DWW,” they said.

Adding to the new in-demand employee benefits, climate change protection is another trend that will rock the workplace in 2024 and beyond.

Gatner states that as climate change-related events become more widespread and persistent, leaders will need to adapt their strategies to address the impact on employee productivity, retention, and recruiting.

“Organisations will seize the opportunity to make their response plans and support more explicit and transparent to enhance their employment value proposition.”

In addition to this, organisations will need to prioritise direct climate change protections in their benefit offers.

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