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Summary of Cisco Systems Consortium Report on AI and ICT Jobs

On April 4, 2024, a Consortium of nine leading global corporations (Accenture, Cisco, Eightfold, Google, IBM, Indeed, Intel, Microsoft, & SAP) in collaboration with global advisors embarked on a collaborative endeavor with a singular vision of sharing insights to advance an AI-enabled information and communications technology (ICT) workforce. The Consortium was catalyzed by the work of the U.S.- EU Trade and Technology Council’s (TTC) Talent for Growth Task Force, with the goal of exploring AI’s impact on ICT job roles and identifying the skills and training workers will need to thrive in an AI-driven future.

The recent Cisco-led report, titled The Transformational Opportunity of AI on ICT Jobs,” underscores the substantial impact of AI on technology jobs. Key takeaways from the report and related discussions include:

  1. AI’s Immediate Impact: AI tools are currently affecting 92% of ICT jobs. The report classifies 47 ICT job roles into three categories based on AI impact—High, Moderate, and Low.
  2. Job Losses and Transformation: Over 100,000 tech jobs have been lost in 2024, with AI responsible for a significant portion of these losses. The report emphasizes that while AI will lead to job losses, it also presents a “transformational opportunity” for reshaping ICT roles and skills.
  3. Reskilling Imperative: There is an urgent need for reskilling and upskilling as AI continues to influence job roles. Entry-level and mid-level workers are expected to face the most significant changes.
  4. Job Family Analysis: The report analyzed seven job families—Business and Management, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Design and User Experience, Infrastructure and Operations, Software Development, and Testing and Quality Assurance. It highlights that roles in Business and Management will see significant transformation due to AI.
  5. Technical Skills Decline: Certain technical skills are becoming less relevant, including basic programming, content creation, and manual data handling.
  6. Sector-Specific Impact: AI is drastically reducing the demand for certain software development roles, such as System Level I and II Engineers, and will continue to transform various job titles across sectors.
  7. Federal Response: The U.S. government is attempting to address AI-driven changes with new policies and executive orders. However, concrete actions and contingency plans are still evolving.
  8. Recruiter Challenges: AI tools, such as Google’s Gemini, are increasingly replacing traditional recruiters by automating candidate matching and onboarding processes, leading to significant job losses in recruitment.

For more detailed information, you can access the full Cisco Consortium Report here.

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