Equitable AI skilling can help solve talent scarcity – this is what leaders can do

Talent scarcity is a structural global challenge that is set to define the workplace for decades to come.

While not every global challenge is predictable, the steady decline of working-age people, combined with falling fertility rates and low unemployment rates is already creating significant talent shortages around the world.

There is no silver bullet to prevent it, but we are seeing the emergence of solutions that could circumvent its impact.

As AI develops at unprecedented speed, it is allowing for previously unimaginable levels of increased productivity and efficiency.

This is recognized by organizations, as demand for AI skills has grown fivefold in the past year, new research from Randstad shows. Young talent starting in their careers are driving AI skills acquisition at unprecedented rates, with year-on-year growth figures of over 292%.

However, this same research shows that access to, and skilling for, the technology is currently not equitably distributed across all talent pools.

Thus, while technology has the potential to broaden labour markets, unless we recognize and take active steps to address present inequities, we will end up exacerbating talent scarcity. This will ultimately end up creating even more shortages across industries.

Randstad’s latest report, Understanding Talent Scarcity: AI & Equity Report, surveyed 12,000 talent and analyzed data from more than 3 million job profiles to explore the impact of AI on the equity gap across genders, generations and people with disabilities.

Here are some of the key findings.

The data shows that older workers and women are not enjoying equal access to, and training for, the workplace use of AI. When looking at talent that list AI skills on their profiles, 71% are men and just 29% women – a 42 percentage point gender gap.

This is also reflected in access to the technology. Just over a third of women have been provided with AI access by their employer (35%) compared with two-fifths of men (41%).

When looking at generational divides, just 22% of Baby Boomers have been offered AI skilling opportunities, compared with 28% of Gen X, 43% of Millennials and 45% of Gen Z workers.

The data shows a real threat of widening digital divides, deeper inequalities and hindering progress towards solving talent scarcity.

Despite the inequitable exposure to AI technology across genders and generations, there are also some real positives emerging from our data.

The gender gap appears to be closing. Women who have worked for around 30 years account for only 21% of talent with AI skills. However, when looking at those with less than a year of work experience, this rises to 34%.

And across the board, persons with disabilities are more optimistic about the technology than those without disabilities. Over half of this group (55%) have used AI to problem-solve at work, compared to 39% of their counterparts without disabilities.

Persons with disabilities have often been overlooked when it comes to workplace equity – so seeing this strong uptake and optimism is really encouraging.

However, they are also more likely to call for their employers to offer more when it comes to training and implementation. This is evidenced in that most (57%) seek their AI training outside the workplace. Employers will need to keep pace with these demands if they are to retain talent within this group.

It’s exciting to see gaps closing and key demographics making use of AI technology. However, in a talent-scarce world, the emerging divides should be a real cause for concern.

Organizations globally – and society more broadly – will need to take steps to ensure this inequity is addressed.

In consultation with AI specialists and Randstad employee-driven business resource groups, we have identified four ways to drive equity in AI adoption:

While AI is proving capable of closing gaps for some demographics, such as talent with disabilities, clearly it is not yet being leveraged equitably, with a lack of access negatively affecting women and older demographics.

Failure to address shortcomings could see gaps widen and talent scarcity exacerbated. However, AI has the potential to serve as a powerful tool in combatting this challenge by simultaneously driving productivity, boosting efficiency and bridging equity gaps.

The question organizations and societies need to address is: how can we ensure the benefits, access and training related to AI are equitably extended to all demographic groups?

Addressing this with purpose will support the effective, fair, and innovative workforces we need.