PARIS, France— Despite the often dramatic predictions about artificial intelligence wiping out jobs, global hiring trends suggest a more nuanced reality: AI isn’t killing the job market it’s reshaping it. Speaking at the Vivatech trade fair in Paris, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Chief Innovation Officer at global staffing leader ManpowerGroup, said fears of AI-triggered mass unemployment are likely “overblown.”
Instead, the rise of AI is prompting employers to rethink the skills they value most. “If history shows us one thing, it’s most of these forecasts are wrong,” Chamorro-Premuzic told AFP. While some jobs may vanish, the real shift lies in the growing demand for workers who can complement, manage, and creatively engage with AI systems.
AI Agents on the Rise, but Not Replacing Humans Yet
At the heart of Vivatech’s innovation showcase was a striking example of AI’s potential: a startup competing in a ManpowerGroup-sponsored contest that developed customisable autonomous AI “agents” for hire essentially digital workers. The idea echoes recent concerns voiced by Dario Amodei, CEO of American AI giant Anthropic, who warned last month that AI could eliminate up to 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs in just one to five years.
But Chamorro-Premuzic remained cautious about such dire predictions. “AI agents are certainly not going to become our core business any time soon,” he said. His message: while AI’s presence in the workforce is accelerating, its displacement of human labour is neither total nor immediate.
One in Four Jobs Exposed to Generative AI
A report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) released in May supports this tempered outlook. It found that one in four workers globally are in roles with some degree of exposure to generative AI capabilities. However, the report also stated that “few jobs are currently at high risk of full automation.”
Still, the ILO warned that progress in “agentic” AI models systems capable of semi-autonomous decision-making using tools like browsers and email marks a dramatic leap from just two years ago. Whether these tools augment or erode job roles depends largely on how they’re implemented.
Skills Over Credentials: The Shift in Talent Demand
As AI automates routine tasks, companies are no longer just hiring for technical qualifications; they’re seeking human attributes that machines can’t replicate. A recent ManpowerGroup survey of over 40,000 employers across 42 countries found that ethical judgement, customer service, team leadership, and strategic thinking now top the list of in-demand skills.
Chamorro-Premuzic noted that AI tools could increase productivity by saving workers up to 50% of their time. However, whether that time is used wisely remains a human decision. “If what happens is that AI helps knowledge workers save 30, 40, or maybe 50 percent of their time, but that time is then wasted on social media, that’s not an increase in net output,” he said.
He also stressed the need for training programmes that match the pace of AI adoption, something he believes is lacking. “For every dollar you invest in technology, you need to invest eight or nine in HR, culture transformation, and change management,” he argued.
Jobseekers and Employers Both Turn to AI
In a twist of irony, AI is now being used on both sides of the hiring table. Job seekers are leveraging tools to craft hundreds of tailored applications per day, even deploying bots to attend interviews. “Candidates are able to send 500 perfect applications in one day,” said Chamorro-Premuzic. “They are able to send their bots to interview.”
Yet this trend has limits. A survey by recruitment platform TestGorilla, which polled over 1,000 jobseekers, found that only 17% admitted to cheating on tests, and not all of those used AI.
On the employer side, two-thirds of hiring decision-makers reported using AI to generate job descriptions and screen applications, but far fewer are using AI to conduct interviews.
From Skills to Potential: The Next Hiring Frontier
Looking ahead, Chamorro-Premuzic believes the real evolution will be a shift from hiring for skills to hiring for potential. “Even if I know the skills you bring to the table today, they might be obsolete in six months,” he said.
In this new era, employers will increasingly prioritise character traits over technical prowess. “I’m better off knowing that you’re hard-working, that you are curious, that you have good people skills, that you’re not a jerk, and that AI can help you evaluate,” he added.
As AI continues to transform how we work, it won’t just be what you know that matters, but how well you adapt and how human you remain.
