Job applicants in Germany have limited concern over the potential impact that artificial intelligence could have on employment opportunities, a new study by recruitment firm softgarden has found.
According to the study, which gathered insights from 4,505 job applicants, some nine in ten (90.2%) expect AI to have a greater presence in the workplace this year, while around two thirds (63.5%) believe it will have a direct effect on their specific roles.
However, just 11.2% expect that AI will have a negative impact on their career prospects or future income opportunities.
The percentage of those that believe AI will influence their jobs varies by sector – in IT, for example, 85.3% of IT professionals expect AI to significantly impact their jobs. This percentage drops to just 52.8% in nursing and 50% in retail.
Desk-based jobs (74%) are more likely to anticipate a greater influence from AI than non-desk-based roles (26%), the data indicated.
Participant comments
The survey also sought comments from participants, who noted that AI has the potential to enhance tasks like network management in IT, and process optimisation in other industries.
As one noted, referring to the construction and planning sector, “I expect AI-supported tools to further optimise processes such as cost calculation, material management and scheduling.” Another comment on the healthcare sector, meanwhile, noted that “in healthcare and in hospitals, both artificial intelligence and human efforts are used, and these are two inseparable elements.”
Positive effect on career prospects
Another finding from the study was that 59.4% of applicants believe AI will have a positive effect on their career prospects, while 29.3% think it will have no effect.
This contrasts with 28.2% of applicants who are concerned that the recent change in the US government – with Donald Trump returning to the White House – could negatively impact their career opportunities.
Softgarden, which is part of the Grupa Pracuj Capital Group, supports over 1,200 job boards and assists businesses with employer branding, onboarding, and improving recruitment efficiency. Read more here.
