The headlines are stark. AI is coming for our jobs, and workers everywhere are understandably concerned. But if we look beyond the noise, there’s a more balanced – and more hopeful – reality emerging.
For many sectors, this isn’t about replacement but about transition – and for employers, particularly those thinking seriously about skills and workforce development, it represents a genuine opportunity.
AI is the next technological shift and is already embedded in the way we work, often in ways we barely notice. Most of us can’t send an email or open a document without some form of AI stepping in – suggesting edits, finishing sentences, streamlining tasks. It brings incremental efficiencies, certainly, but that’s only scratching the surface.
The bigger question for HR leaders isn’t whether AI is being used, but whether it’s being used well. It was something put forward by Google’s UK leader this month who argued that it’s time businesses move beyond basic usage and instead equip workers with meaningful, future-ready skills. Open AI, creators of ChatGPT, also published a piece on policies for the new industrial age in which they state “AI success won’t be defined by capability alone, but by whether we build the skills, governance, trust and institutions to use it well.”
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Those comments also follow relevant data from my sectors – housing and construction – with research from Sage this month showing that 73% of builders and 68% of plumbers are already using AI daily. On the face of it, that’s significant adoption but dig a little deeper and most of that usage sits in administrative or bookkeeping tasks which is helpful, but far from transformative.
And this pattern isn’t unique to construction; across so any industries AI is being adopted quickly but not strategically
A shift in focus
For HR leaders, this is where the focus needs to shift. The challenge is no longer introducing AI into the workplace – it’s equipping people with the skills and confidence to use it in meaningful, productive ways as well as analysing the role of AI in each task, something Microsoft advocate with its suggestion that daily tasks should be looked at in three ways – completely human, completely AI or a mix.
Bringing that into our daily working lives means moving beyond surface-level adoption and investing in training that genuinely prepares employees for the future of work.
Done properly – ethically and thoughtfully – AI has the potential to support job creation, not diminish it. It can improve productivity, reduce administrative burden and allow people to focus on higher-value, more human aspects of their roles – in our parent company Places for People we’ve seen introductions such as a Role Profile agent which helps create role profiles from scratch, as well as a Talent Acquisition agent and various other use cases including Employee Relations.
Construction is a useful case study here. It’s a sector often cited in discussions about skills shortages, yet one where roles remain inherently human and resistant to automation. The issue isn’t that jobs are disappearing – it’s that pathways into them are often unclear, and support within them can be inconsistent.
This is where technology, used in the right way, can make a tangible difference. Initiatives like RAFT show what that can look like in practice. RAFT – an organisation we work with at PfP Thrive – is an AI-powered mentoring and support platform designed to help apprentices navigate the often-challenging early stages of their careers.
With nearly half of construction apprentices failing to complete their programmes, often due to the weight of admin and portfolio work, tools like this can reduce friction and help people stay the course.
A catalyst for better workforce development
Alongside this, technology is also enabling new ways of sharing knowledge; platforms like Help me Fix combine AI diagnostics with experienced engineers to resolve issues remotely, while also creating opportunities for semi-retired professionals to mentor the next generation. It’s a powerful example of how AI can complement human expertise, not replace it.
For HR leaders, the lesson is clear – AI should not be viewed purely as a tool for efficiency, but as a catalyst for better workforce development. That means investing in training that goes beyond the basics, and creating environments where employees feel supported to experiment, learn and adapt. It also means HR leaders recognising that the future of work will be shaped as much by human skills – judgement, communication, creativity – as it is by technology.
There’s no doubt that AI will continue to evolve, and with it, the nature of work. But the idea that it will simply replace jobs is too simplistic. The reality is more nuanced; jobs will change, new roles will emerge and expectations will shift.
The organisations that succeed will be those that recognise this early and act accordingly. Not by resisting AI, or adopting it superficially, but by embedding it into a broader strategy for skills, training and long-term workforce resilience.
Because ultimately, AI isn’t the story, people are.
Tom believes that everyone should have the opportunity to thrive in their chosen career. His passion is straightforward: supporting individuals and creating an environment where anyone, especially those furthest from the job market, can flourish.
As the Academy Director at PfP Thrive, his role is to ensure that the organisation's strategic mission of providing world-class learning, while developing, supporting, and encouraging every learner, is fulfilled.
- Tom Arey
- Tom Arey
- Tom Arey
