Job roles with the highest redundancy rates in the coming year
Hope 4 Recruitment | September 09, 2024
Is your job role in this high redundancy risk list for the year 2024 – 2025. We all know that AI is here to stay and in this battle between mankind and AI, there will be many losers and many survivors. Which side of the equation will you end up on?
Let’s get into the why’s and how’s and discuss the top 4 roles with the highest risk of redundancies in the coming year.
Data Analysts:
While AI has made the jobs easier in a sense that analysts no longer have to do mere mortal tasks that consume time, it has also created more time. Despite that, analysts and developers now must find solutions to more intricate issues and drop the risk averse approach to get ahead and stay ahead. This is a major learning curve for everyone who has Business process improvement as part of their job description.
Analysts now have reduced leverage. 2 years ago, if your boss needed your help with every other thing from data filtration to interpreting a spreadsheet or generating a simple report, now they are going to leverage AI, meaning, they will expect you to have more time for your job now and will have higher expectations for you to come up with more innovative solutions and perhaps tend to the projects that have been on the backburner for a long time due to their intricacy.
Especially if Microsoft excel and access are your top skills, then I’m afraid it’s bad news all around for you. With the introduction of AI to Microsoft office, it will be able to analyse and make suggestions, do basic tasks like data filtration, report generation, adding graphics and suggesting formulas.
There are however some strict laws governing this move to AI as the data privacy policy stands in the way of companies whose only chance of introducing AI to their operating model is by sharing confidential organisational data with the AI assistant which risks making it a public domain. This can compromise sensitive information. There’s a lot of red tape surrounding this transition to AI most of which is to do with data privacy and security.
So analysts, not worry as it will be years before you notice a major shift in the industry. You will have plenty of time to adapt and even then, we will always need seasoned analysts as AI programs will always require human oversight for compliance and quality control.
For example, I have recently learnt about a major financial institution whose employee in a bid to automate a task, ended up sharing sensitive code with chat GPT. This meant that what was once a million-pound idea is now public domain and hence anyone could copy it.
Countermeasures:
As an analyst or web developer, you have a choice, whether to sit down and whinge about how AI and its implementations in tech are destroying careers and putting jobs at risk OR leverage that same AI better than the next person and use it to your advantage. Turn your weakness into your strength. Focusing on niche areas that require human judgment, such as data interpretation and strategy development, can help analysts stay relevant.
Warehouse Operatives:
Now as for the logistics industry especially warehouse operatives, pick and packers, parcel sorters etc, I’m afraid it’s not good news. Allow me to break it down for you.
If one robotic arm can pack and seal boxes at the rate of speed equivalent to 5 people, then that’s 5 jobs per robot deployed. If the average cost for one is £1500 to £2000, that’s equivalent to average spend per hire of an operative. This is before training and development.
Average maintenance cost per fixated robotic arm is under £100 a month which is less than 1/10th of the salary of a full-time warehouse operative.
I haven’t even taken into account all the variables involving a human being where we can call in sick, need annual leave and require additional benefits and so on.
Example: Amazon has already begun deploying robots in its warehouses to enhance productivity and reduce costs. These robots can sort packages up to 75% faster than humans, significantly cutting down order fulfilment times. As companies strive for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the adoption of these technologies will only accelerate.
I’m not going to insinuate anything here, but you tell me, what would you do if you were in this employer’s position?
Spend thousands potentially millions more to hire human beings with higher error margins or employ robots with higher rate of accuracy and perhaps a couple humans to oversee the work.
Yes, this can all come to a halt with a technical malfunction and next thing you know, the warehouse is out of operation. But same can be said about internet and yet we have still built a life around it solely because we put our trust in the infrastructure and the capability of the people who understand it.
Countermeasures:
Now is as good a time as any to train yourself to new skills and expand your horizons. Training programs focusing on the maintenance and troubleshooting of robots can be crucial. Workers can transition to roles that involve supervising and managing automated processes. This includes ensuring the smooth operation of robotic systems and addressing any issues that arise.
Web Developers:
If you are a developer or designer speculating whether your sector will experience redundancies
Can AI write a website?
Can AI write the content for the website?
Can AI generate images that need to go on the website?
Was AI capable of doing this 2 years ago?
If you have answered yes to first 3 questions and no to the 4th question, then you know where this is going. At the current rate of development, we are looking at an incredibly reliable AI enabled automated web development service in near future. It will only be a matter of time before people adapt this new way of doing things, not to mention that there are already some platforms out there offering this service.
Small business owners will be the first ones to get on with the program, followed by SME’s and then in few years’ times, perhaps the enterprises will follow suit. There may never come a time where there will be a one fit for all solution since complex functionalities, custom demands and new and more creative ideas involving complex code will always require a seasoned programmer’s touch. The idea of AI involvement on a commercial scale, however, is scary enough to get you thinking about upskilling. Better to stay ahead than to play catch-up.
Countermeasures:
If you specialise in website development, graphic designing and web content writing, I’d highly recommend learning how to leverage AI to do what you do even better. Learn from it and use that knowledge to stay one step ahead. It’s crucial to be aware of AI’s capabilities of generating and interpreting complex programming code to enable yourself to stay one step ahead. For example getting to grips with Microsoft power platforms and upskilling will definitely give you an edge in a market that is now being driven by AI-powered low-code tools.
AI is not the enemy, the unwillingness to adapt is.
Recruitment Consultants:
This is target to recruitment consultants in general but is broadly applied to anyone who works in the capacity of a consultant whether business development, HR or otherwise.
Ask yourself, can human cleverness, attentiveness and complex emotional responses be modelled to an unparalleled accuracy to replicate an outstanding an experienced sales executive or recruitment consultant?
Let’s break it down, you are constantly dealing with emotional human beings, same person could be acting different in a span of minutes, same person could have a completely different emotional response to something in a years’ time. Factors like personal lives, global events, financial circumstances, passions and dreams impact our responsiveness and reaction to a situation or our choices when presented with options. Sure these can be replicated to a great degree but we are far from the time where robots are brokering business deals.
Yes, AI in recruitment has gain a lot of traction since it’s introduction and with investors preferring to back companies that have integrated AI models over those who are still stuck with conventional recruiting, it seems as if we are drifting away from that human touch.
With introduction of AI in reaching out to the candidates, LinkedIn content generation, writing job descriptions, conducting interviews and sometimes even contract generation depending on the complexity, recruiters’ jobs have been made easier meaning, more is expected of you as a recruiter now than 2 years ago as you now have more tools to excel at your job.
Countermeasures:
Interpersonal Skills: Consultants should focus on improving their interpersonal and relationship-building skills. AI cannot mimic a detailed grasp of human behaviour or the ability to establish trust with clients.
Hybrid Roles: Combining AI insights with human skills can result in a powerful hybrid model. Consultants should learn how to use AI tools while maintaining the human touch that clients value.
Remember, AI is intelligent, not clever.
There are of course other roles that will see a rise in redundancy as time passes. The rise of AI and automation is a double-edged sword, offering significant efficiencies and cost savings while threatening job security in various sectors. The quality control and safety aspect of this is still under debate and development in many sectors. However, by upskilling, embracing new technologies, specializing in niche areas, and continuously learning, workers in these roles can stay ahead of the curve and remain relevant in the evolving job market. Adapting to these changes not only safeguards careers but also enhances the overall productivity and innovation within industries.
If you work in one of the above roles and want to discuss your options, have a chat about your career progression routes and strategise, just hop on over to and submit your details. One of our career advice experts will book you in for a confidential call to draw up a plan to maximise your chances of a successful and progressive career.