The Future of Work: What Employers Will Seek by 2026 in the Age of AI
The job market is rapidly evolving due to the rise of artificial intelligence, shifting the hiring criteria from merely executing tasks to the ability to contribute qualitatively in the collaboration between humans and machines.
According to Daniela Rus, director of the Computer Science and AI Lab at MIT, this transformation raises a crucial question that every job applicant should be prepared to answer by 2026.
The impact of artificial intelligence is already evident in productivity data, as noted by Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, who highlighted that large companies have become more hesitant in hiring due to tangible productivity gains.
However, the situation is not uniform; while some companies are reducing their workforce, others are expanding their teams under new conditions.
Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, stated at the CES in Las Vegas:
"We are not hiring fewer people, but different people… individuals with an advanced mindset regarding artificial intelligence."
* New Skills or Job Loss?
Last year saw a wave of layoffs at major companies like Shopify, Accenture, and Fiverr, which simultaneously urged employees to enhance their AI skills to remain relevant in the job market.
Micha Kaufman, CEO of Fiverr, confirmed:
"Our call for teams to deepen their AI skills was not symbolic but an acknowledgment that AI is reshaping every industry."
Companies are focusing on having AI take over routine tasks while humans concentrate on creativity, judgment, and complex decision-making, marking a shift from the idea of "replacement" to "augmentation."
Nevertheless, experts warn that these promises may conceal cost-cutting objectives, and Rus emphasizes that the transition to AI involves not only efficiency but also trust and transparency, cautioning against the risk of diminishing human capabilities rather than enhancing them.
* Who Fears Training Their Replacement?
Kaufman points out a natural concern among employees:
"People may fear they are training the tools that will replace them, but the reality is that those who learn to manage AI and improve its outcomes will be the engineers of the next generation of work."
A report from Fiverr for 2024 indicates that 40% of freelancers are using AI tools, saving over 8 hours per week while achieving better quality and higher wages.
* Does History Provide Comfort?
A study from the Yale University Budget Lab shows that the job market has not experienced significant disruptions since the introduction of ChatGPT in 2022, confirming that major technological changes take decades to fully manifest.
A report from McKinsey suggests that AI could theoretically automate more than half of the working hours in the United States, which does not necessarily mean job loss, but rather a transformation of roles with the emergence of new positions based on human-machine collaboration.
Even companies that have adopted an "AI-first" policy have faced challenges:
The firm Klarna laid off 40% of its employees but found it necessary to rehire some after customer service quality declined.
Professor Armando Solar Lezama from MIT explains:
"Organizations are designed to handle human errors, not AI errors, and that will take time to adapt to."
