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Small and medium enterprises (<keyword id="20086849" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SMEs" source="keywords">SMEs</keyword>) are driving a major surge in <keyword id="21881529" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="job-applications" source="keywords">job applications</keyword> across key sectors, with more than 35 million job applications recorded in the first eight months of 2024, according to a report by jobs and professional networking platform apna.co. The growth is fueled by rising demand in sectors like BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance), BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), and hospitality. The report highlights that the surge in job applications is largely for roles such as Sales &amp; Marketing Managers, Accounting Technicians, Telecallers, Back Office Executives, and Business Development Associates. These positions are critical for the expansion of businesses in these sectors, and the growing demand reflects a strong upward trend in hiring. "SMBs and MSMEs employ more than 110 million people, making them the backbone of our economy. Their success is crucial for our nation's journey towards achieving a USD 5 trillion economy," said Nirmit Parikh, Founder &amp; CEO of apna.co. Parikh emphasised that the demand for skilled workers in these sectors is expected to continue growing, creating vast opportunities for <keyword id="20019820" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="job-seekers" source="keywords">job seekers</keyword> across India. <h2>Major growth in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities</h2>An interesting trend noted in the report is that over 55% of the total job applications for SMB roles came from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, including Jaipur, Indore, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Kochi, and Bhubaneswar. As businesses expand into these cities, the talent pool is evolving to meet the growing demand, fostering a symbiotic relationship between employers and job seekers. Out of the 35 million job applications received, 14 million came from women, marking a 30% year-on-year increase in female participation. Women are increasingly taking on roles across diverse fields like finance, accounts, marketing, and graphic design, reflecting their rising involvement in the workforce. As SMEs and MSMEs continue to grow, the <keyword id="19972727" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="employment-opportunities" source="keywords">employment opportunities</keyword> they generate are set to further contribute to India’s economic goals, fueling progress toward the USD 5 trillion economy target. (With inputs from PTI)

Small businesses generated 35 million job applications till Aug 2024, 14 million were from women: Report

<keyword id="22865833" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-vendors" source="keywords">Online vendors</keyword> have generated 15.8 million <keyword id="19914922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jobs" source="keywords">jobs</keyword> in <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword>, including 3.5 million for women, with about 1.76 million retail enterprises participating in <keyword id="19990771" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="e-commerce" source="keywords">e-commerce</keyword> activity, says a report released on Wednesday. The report 'Assessing the Net Impact of e-Commerce on <keyword id="19898684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="employment" source="keywords">Employment</keyword> and Consumer Welfare in India' was launched by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. "Plugging in data from our survey, we estimate that online vendors generate 15.8 million jobs, including 3.5 million jobs for women," the report prepared by Pahle India Foundation (PIF), a Delhi-based policy research institute, said. E-commerce, according to the report, has been a key driver of employment generation In India. On an average, online vendors employ 54 per cent more people and almost twice the number of female employees, compared to offline vendors. The report noted that two of the most widely-recognised contributions of e-commerce penetration in the retail sector are --growth in employment and improvements in consumer welfare. It said rather than displacing physical markets, e-commerce is expanding into new territories like tier 3 cities. "Our data shows that a higher percentage of Tier 3 city consumers spend more than Rs 5,000 per month on online shopping as compared to consumers from bigger cities," it said, adding this is the India consumption story, which enables the co-existence of physical and digital retail. The study analysed the impact e-commerce has had on employment and consumer welfare through a pan-India survey of 2,062 online vendors, 2,031 offline vendors, and 8,209 consumers of products from e-commerce websites across 35 cities in 20 states and UTs. According to the report, each e-commerce vendor on an average employs about 9 people, of which 2 are female, while each offline vendor employs about 6 people, of which only 1 is female. It pointed out that there was increase in employment across skill levels, including high-skilled (management, marketing), medium-skilled (customer service, operations), and low-skilled (warehousing, logistics, delivery) functions. The report said that the growth of e-commerce and accompanying digitalisation have fundamentally changed the skill sets and roles required in the industry. "Vendors have experienced improved business performance parameters since listing online, including higher sales and profits," it said. According to the report, 60 per cent and 52 per cent of vendors, respectively, state that their sales and profits have increased since the time they have started selling online. "Overall, more than two thirds of the online vendors interviewed experienced an increase in online sales value and profits in the past year," the report said, adding that 58 per cent saw an increase in both. Barring costs, it said vendors have seen a positive shift in all other aspects of business performance since they started selling online. The report said there is a strong business case for offline vendors to list on e-commerce platforms or pursue an omni-channel strategy. "E-commerce integration has accrued significant benefits to vendors from smaller cities and micro-enterprises," it said. The study also delves into how e-commerce has reshaped consumer behaviour, noting that consumers have shifted to online shopping for reasons that include convenience, product variety, and access. "A highly engaged consumer base is indicated by the fact that more than 50 per cent of all respondents to the survey spent more than two hours on e-commerce platforms a week, and that 70 per cent made a purchase via e-commerce in the last month alone," it said. Speaking at the event, former NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said, e-commerce has revolutionized India's retail landscape. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation(MoSPI) secretary Saurabh Garg lauded the government's initiatives expanding digital public infrastructure that have enabled the smooth expansion of e-commerce. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-and-airtel-gained-over-3-million-subscribers-in-june-vi-lost-nearly-a-million/articleshow/112670406.cms">Reliance Jio and Airtel gained over 3 million subscribers in June, Vi lost nearly a million</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/the-iphone-pro-models-will-be-made-in-india-for-the-first-time-this-year/articleshow/112653019.cms">The iPhone Pro models will be made in India for the first time this year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/orient-technologies-ipo-price-band-to-risk-factors-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/112646237.cms">Orient Technologies IPO – Price band to risk factors, all you need to know</a>

Online vendors generated 15.8 million jobs in India: e-commerce report

The pre-budget <keyword id="20613906" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Economic-Survey" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Economic Survey" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Economic Survey">Economic Survey</keyword> on Monday called for urgent reforms in India's <keyword id="19915424" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="agricultural-sector" source="keywords">agricultural sector</keyword>, warning that the structural issues could impede the country's overall <keyword id="19900794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="economic-growth" source="keywords">economic growth</keyword> trajectory. The survey, tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nirmala-sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword>, highlighted the untapped potential of the <keyword id="20682012" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-agriculture" source="keywords">Indian agriculture</keyword> sector compared to other economies. Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran called for a pan-India dialogue on the agriculture sector. The survey, presented ahead of the annual budget, emphasised that India has yet to fully leverage its agricultural sector for economic growth and job creation, unlike East Asian economies and Western developed nations. "Indian agriculture is not in a crisis now but requires a serious <keyword id="20544318" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="structural-transformation" source="keywords">structural transformation</keyword> because climate change and water criticality loom large in the times to come," the survey stated. The CEA advocated for a reassessment of existing policies, despite current government subsidies and support measures for farmers. "The payoff will be immense if we untie the knots that bedevil farm sector policies," Nageswaran said in the survey's preface. While the government provides substantial support to farmers through subsidies on water, electricity, and fertilizers, along with income tax exemptions and minimum support prices, there is room for improvement in policy implementation, he added. The survey identified several key challenges, including balancing growth with food inflation management, improving price discovery, and addressing land fragmentation. To address these challenges, the survey recommends multi-pronged reforms, which include: upgrading agricultural technology, enhancing marketing avenues, adopting farming innovations, reducing input wastage, and improving the agriculture-industry linkages. The document stressed the need to shift focus from basic <keyword id="19992806" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-security" source="keywords">food security</keyword> to nutritional security, aligning with a 'demand-driven food system' that is both nutritious and environmentally sustainable. The survey suggested that policymakers must strike a delicate balance between incentivizing farmers to increase production and keeping food prices within acceptable limits. "This dual objective requires careful policy interventions." The survey also emphasized the need for a farmer-friendly policy framework to ensure markets function in farmers' interests. It recommended avoiding bans on futures or options markets at the first sign of price spikes; invoking bans only under exceptional circumstances; re-examining the inflation-targeting framework; increasing the total net irrigated area, and aligning farming practices with <keyword id="22505922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-considerations" source="keywords">climate considerations</keyword>. Looking ahead to 2047, the survey highlighted the potential of agriculture and allied sectors (horticulture, livestock, fisheries, dairy, and food processing) for sustained <keyword id="20268655" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="employment-generation" source="keywords">employment generation</keyword>. "To sustain growth for nearly a generation up to 2047 or more and to ensure that it makes people's lives better and fulfills their aspirations, bottom-up reforms are necessary," it noted. It suggested that India may need to reconsider the traditional development model of transitioning from agriculture to industry and services.

Economic Survey calls for urgent agricultural reforms; cites growth hurdles

Emerging technologies are set to revolutionise India’s workforce and can generate an additional 2.73 million tech jobs by 2028, according to ServiceNow’s AI Skills and Jobs Report. This growth comes amid India’s overall workforce expansion, expected to reach 457.62 million by 2028—a 33.9 million increase since 2023. ServiceNow, through partnerships and its ‘RiseUp’ program, aims to bridge the skills gap, positioning India as a competitive force in the global tech arena. Retail, manufacturing, education, and healthcare are projected to experience robust job creation, with retail alone expected to add 6.96 million roles. Professionals in these sectors have opportunities to upskill in areas such as software development and data engineering. Meanwhile, demand for tech roles like Software Application Developers, Systems Software Developers, and Data Engineers is expected to surge, driven by expanding sectors like manufacturing and telecommunications. Generative AI is also reshaping tasks within tech roles, increasing efficiency and automating routine processes. Systems Administrators, AI Systems Engineers, and Implementation Consultants, for example, will gain hours back each week as AI automates tasks. ServiceNow reports a $5 million cost savings and productivity boost from using generative AI across its operations, illustrating the practical impact of AI-led automation. To build a tech-ready talent pipeline, ServiceNow has been proactive, training over 97,000 Indians through its ‘RiseUp with ServiceNow’ initiative in the past year. The company’s University Academic Program, launched with government partnerships and institutions like NASSCOM’s FutureSkills Prime, is ensuring graduates possess job-ready digital skills, strengthening India’s tech ecosystem. With AI as a critical driver, India is expected to see a significant workforce transformation, meeting both domestic and global demand for skilled tech professionals.

AI can create 2.7 million tech jobs by 2028 in India, study says

Ron Sherman has always had what he considers a typical baby-boomer attitude toward work: You're loyal to your employer, you give 100%, and you never call out sick unless you really have to — and even then, you might try to push through anyway.Work, however, has not always had that same attitude toward him. Sherman has been laid off three times in his career: once after his company was bought out, once after his job was shipped overseas (he trained his replacement), and, most recently, after his team at a major cable company was downsized. "Three strikes, you're out," he somewhat painfully jokes. The company says age has nothing to do with it and that it was about title, but Sherman, who is 67, notes that everyone who was cut from his team was over 60. As he contemplates whether it's time to retire, the callousness with which his past employers treated him is making him rethink his give-it-all-on-the-job attitude."I was sort of raised that you do a hard day's work and you're honest, and things will work out for you — it's a two-way street between you and your employer," he says. "But I found out that's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/loyalty-employee-employer-job-security-broken-work-companies-bosses-2024-1">truly not the case</a>."Sherman and I talked after he saw <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-sick-leave-pto-mental-health-work-from-home-2024-8">a story I wrote about Gen Z taking more time off of work</a> — the HR platform Dayforce found a 55% increase in sick leave from 2019 to 2023, with the biggest jump coming from the under-35 crowd. Maybe the youngs have the right idea, he thought, and workers should take the time they have when they have it. Sherman built up 360 hours of sick leave at his last gig that went poof when he was let go — he wasn't credited or even paid out for it.People have strong feelings about missing work. After publishing the article about Gen Z's predisposition to take time away, I got a lot of feedback from older generations. Some of it was predictable "the kids these days" complaints lamenting that nobody wants to work nowadays, that work ethic has disappeared, etc. But other comments struck a different note. People talked about respecting and even admiring Zoomers' willingness to lean out. Some even expressed regret at how much they'd given up in service of The Man, who, in retrospect, was in a one-sided, neglectful relationship with them.American work culture hinges on the idea of the ideal worker — someone who goes above and beyond, who's always available, whose life outside the office the higher-ups pay no mind to. It leads to some unhealthy behaviors, like presenteeism, where employees go to work even though they're not well, and it's the reason employees wind up on a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quiet-vacations-work-trends-culture-pto-travel-job-stress-2024-6">quiet vacation</a> rather than a real one. It's not a great system, but it's one that workers have for decades bought into. It's also creating people who are left wondering later in their careers or in retirement if all that energy they put toward their jobs was worth it."I wonder how many young millennials and Gen Z are hearing remorse from their boomer parents for having sacrificed their health for the sake of a job," said David Johnston, who retired from his job at a utilities company in 2020. He says he often warns his daughter and her cousins not to let work "wreck their health." Johnston is well aware of the stakes — he got a cancer diagnosis on his first day of retirement. "I was like, 'You've got to be kidding,'" he said. "It's like a story you couldn't make up."He's fine now, but looking back at his decades in the workforce, he thinks about how much time he lost traveling for work or just going to and from the office. He spent two to three hours a day commuting, and over 40 years, that adds up. (That's why he thinks this <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/remote-work">remote work</a> thing sounds good, too.) Johnston is Canadian, and he figures at least he didn't have it as bad as his American counterparts, who he said were great to collaborate with because they worked so hard but also had a work ethic that was "nuts." He's proud of what he accomplished, but he wishes he'd spent more time with his daughter. "My father did the same thing, so for me, it wasn't that big of a change," he said. "It was almost normal." Dave Kotwitz, who worked for and then owned a Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Wisconsin, expressed a similar sentiment about missing out on watching his kids grow up. (I'll disclose here that I know Kotwitz — I went to school with his daughter, and his Pig was my Pig.) When he started out as a manager, he worked open to close for two years, and even after he became the owner, a 40-hour workweek was a rarity. The time suck wasn't just the store; his involvement in the community — the local chamber of commerce, etc. — ate up hours, especially in the evenings. His daughter brings up things that happened when she was growing up, and he doesn't have any recollection of them. He has no memory of her being on the golf team in high school, for example. "I was pretty much buried in work," Kotwitz said. "There's got to be work-life balance, and I didn't have work-life balance."In his retirement, Kotwitz has been doing more yardwork and taken up beekeeping and blacksmithing. He wishes he'd gotten into those a long time ago — they would have been more fun when he had more energy.Not everyone I talked to for this story was so sold on the idea of relaxing on the job. There was Charlie Stuart, a documentary maker who retired in 2020 and then, after realizing he didn't want to play golf three days a week, decided to get his real-estate license. He'd spent most of his career working for himself, which is a blessing and a curse. You can make it to your kid's 2 p.m. baseball game, but that's because you can go back to work at 10 at night. "When you work for yourself, you're working for one of the biggest jerks you've ever worked for," he said.David Vequist, a management professor in Texas, is happy with where he ended up, but he admires that his Gen Z students seem to prioritize their side gigs and passion projects over their day jobs. Paul Miola, who spent his career working in insurance and is now mostly retired, didn't need to wait to learn a lesson about the value of time off. Forty-five years ago, he took some days off to help his wife care for their first child, and when he returned to work, his manager told him it would affect his performance review. "It shocked me. Like, really?" he said. "But that's the way things were then." When Miola started managing people, he made sure to do things differently. One thing I will note here is that I talked to a lot of men for this story. While boomer women worked more than their own mothers did, they <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/02/14/millennial-life-how-young-adulthood-today-compares-with-prior-generations-2/">were not employed at the same rates</a> as Gen Xers and millennials. In many boomer families, it was the expectation that the woman deal with childcare needs. If she was working, her boss may have been more understanding, too. The people I talked to were also generally more affluent, the types for whom the hard work had paid off. I wonder if there's more space for reflection there than there is for, say, single parents or blue-collar workers who feel they didn't have a choice in their approach to work. They needed to put bread on the table and support their families, and that was that.Chris Woods, a financial advisor who founded Silvis Financial, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, spends many of his days talking to pre-retirees thinking about their future and rethinking their past. No one ever tells him they wish they'd worked more, though many wish they'd invested more. Some say they wish they'd changed careers earlier on to improve their quality of life. Among younger generations — say, Gen X and below — there's a sense that they don't want to repeat their parents' mistakes, workwise."If you had boomers as parents, then you grew up watching them work eight-plus hours a day five days a week for 40 years, and maybe they didn't spend as much time with their kids," Woods said. "I think a lot of people have seen that and they want to do it differently."Yes, people <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retirement-social-security-gen-z-millennials-uncertainty-fears-pensions-2024-4">want to arrive at retirement with enough money in savings</a>, but there's more to the equation. They want to make sure they capitalize on that time, whether by traveling or spending time with family or taking up hobbies or whatever else. They want to get there in good health so they can actually enjoy it all, and that's not guaranteed, especially in a work culture that has historically pushed people to run themselves ragged.Candidly, it's something I think about a lot. I have very much internalized the capitalist machine and have a tendency to overwork. As much as I tell myself <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/consumerism-capitalism-optimization-culture-live-medium-average-good-enough-2024-8">it's fine to just be fine</a>, my default setting at work is often sprinting. I cannot remember the last time I called out sick, even when I probably should have. And I worry that in 30 years I'll be set to retire and I'll wonder if everything I'm putting in now was worth it. That's assuming I'll get there, which, who knows. If Gen Z is easing off the gas pedal a little bit, maybe I should, too.None of the boomers I talked to was in favor of people calling out of work willy-nilly. They pointed out that it's a strain on colleagues who are expected to pick up the slack and that it might ultimately come back to bite you. A couple also suggested that if a young worker is missing work so much — because of the stress, or maybe because they just hate it — it's probably time to look for a different job. If you're in your 20s and you don't like the track you're on, it's a whole lot easier to jump to a different one now than in your 50s.Still, there's more to life than work, and if younger people are seeing that, I mean, great. It's hard to imagine being 75, sitting on your porch, and wishing you'd put in more overtime.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/emily-stewart">Emily Stewart</a> is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

Generation Never-Called-in-Sick

When ChatGPT launched in November 2022, it was being looked upon as something straight out of a Sci-Fi film. The <keyword id="19896272" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="generative-AI" source="keywords">generative AI</keyword> chatbot could write, code, compose music and whatnot. While many people started using the AI chatbot everyday and started appreciating it, there were others who were afraid that the chatbot would take away their jobs. And then there were people who believed that knowing how to use <keyword id="20096338" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-tools" source="keywords">AI tools</keyword> would be a necessary skill in the future. “AI won’t replace your job but someone using AI tools would” was a popular quote surfacing on LinkedIn at the time AI tools started getting popular. And as per a recent study, this quote holds true. A new study by Gartner says that by 2027, a staggering 80% of engineering professionals may find themselves at risk of <keyword id="20080267" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="job-loss" source="keywords">job loss</keyword> if they do not adapt and enhance their skills, particularly in the face of advancing generative AI technologies. Generative AI is changing the way software development and engineering roles are approached at the workplace. This shift poses significant challenges for engineers who have relied on traditional skills and methods. As AI systems become more capable of performing tasks previously done by humans, engineers must recognise the importance of staying current with new tools and methodologies to remain competitive in the job market. According to an Analytics India Mag report, industry experts warn that those who do not actively pursue further education or training may struggle to secure employment. As the demand for <keyword id="23563446" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-related-skills" source="keywords">AI-related skills</keyword> rises, professionals who fail to adapt risk being left behind. The pressure to keep pace with technological advancements is not just a trend; it’s becoming a necessity for career survival. To mitigate the risks associated with job displacement, engineers should engage in <keyword id="20186222" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lifelong-learning" source="keywords">lifelong learning</keyword>. Upskilling can take various forms, including online courses, workshops, and certifications focused on AI and machine learning. Many educational institutions and online platforms are responding to this need by offering specialised programmes tailored to the demands of the industry. The call for continuous learning is not just about acquiring new technical skills. It also involves developing soft skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability. These competencies are increasingly valuable in a world where collaboration with AI systems will become the norm.

Study reveals 80% of software engineers must upskill by 2027 to keep their jobs

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Employers are prioritizing entry-level workers with generative AI skills.</li><li>Job descriptions mentioning generative AI have tripled on Handshake's portal over the past year.</li></ul>There was a time when you needed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/insider-resume-toolkit-careers-job-search-applications-cv-advice#:~:text=You%20want%20your%20r%C3%A9sum%C3%A9%20to,on%20the%20job%20you%20want.">a polished résumé</a>, stellar interview skills, and a long list of contacts to land a job straight out of college. Now, you might only need to know how to prompt a chatbot.Employers are prioritizing entry-level workers with generative AI skills amid rapid advances in the technology. On the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/summer-internship-competition-handshake-2024-6">student job and internship portal Handshake</a>, the number of job descriptions that mention generative AI tools has more than tripled over the past year.According to a recent <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=1276ca41485b68659b6ade9ae14b644ef6e852268612e9f2de3850b3950d0ef2&amp;postID=667de32a85b49b35b2844db7&amp;postSlug=jobs-entry-level-workers-seeking-generative-ai-skills-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fworklab%2Fwork-trend-index%2Fai-at-work-is-here-now-comes-the-hard-part">survey from Microsoft</a>, 71% of business leaders said they were more willing to hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced candidate without them. About 77% of leaders said AI will help early career workers take on more responsibilities.Yet students don't see AI as a ticket to full-time employment. According to Handshake's data, most students are still using the technology for personal tasks or fun. One recent graduate told Handshake they were "hesitant to use generative AI because it doesn't seem 'officially' accepted or commonplace yet, and I would feel lazy and guilty for using it to do work for me."The corporate world, however, is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-tackling-jobs-humans-dont-have-time-for-or-want-2024-2#:~:text=An%20AI%20bot%20could%20act%20as%20your%20intern.&amp;text=Generative%20AI%20tools%20often%20still,with%20that%2C%20she%20saves%20time.">rushing to use AI</a> in part because it can take on the tasks no one else wants to do. So it's up to schools to help students embrace the technology, Valerie Capers Workman, the chief talent officer at Handshake, told Business Insider. "I believe that in three years, every role will require tech skills, regardless of the field," she said. "So it's more critical than ever that institutions and employers support upskilling and provide training opportunities."

Employers want students with generative AI skills for work, but students just want to use it for fun

Wang is the CEO and cofounder of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/layoffs-tiger-global-and-y-combinator-scale-ai-artificial-intelligence-2023-1">Scale AI</a>, a data-labeling company valued at $13.8 billion. The company employs contractors to annotate training data essential for developing AI models. The company initially focused on data labeling for autonomous vehicles but has since expanded to power the generative AI boom, working with prominent startups such as OpenAI. Before founding Scale AI, Wang was an algorithm developer at Hudson River Trading and held software-engineering roles at Quora and Addepar.See Business Insider's full <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://businessinsider.com/ai-power-list-2024">AI Power List</a>

Alexandr Wang's startup gets data ready to power the generative AI revolution 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some employers are waiving degree requirements, yet it's not leading to widespread hiring.</li><li>Employers might not ask if you have a degree, but many still care, a labor market expert told BI.</li></ul>When a job posting states that the role <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/job-openings-bachelors-college-degree-no-education-requirements-2024-2">doesn't require a degree</a>, Ranji McMillan starts to worry.More than likely, she said, the job will be in sales or involve work that's not a good match for her experience."If someone says that they're not looking for a degree, you have to look at what they want you to do because it just seems like they're going to give you crap work," McMillan told Business Insider.McMillan is 42 and lives in the Northridge section of Los Angeles. She's been looking for work for more than a year and a half. McMillan has an associate degree but not a bachelor's. Yet, she has more than a decade of experience managing the merchandise used in photo shoots for big-name retailers.When she looks at job listings, she estimates that she runs into a formal degree requirement most of the time.McMillan is one of millions of US workers bumping up against what's sometimes called the paper ceiling. It's happening even as more employers are setting aside requirements that applicants for some jobs have bachelor's degrees. The goal is often framed around wanting to hire for skills, not pedigree, yet many bosses have been slow to take the next step: actually bringing on workers who don't hold four-year degrees.<div type="image" title="Ranji McMillan" height="989" width="1600" msid="114401257" hostid="261" sizebytes="127056"></div>David Deming, a professor of political economy at Harvard's Kennedy School, told BI that while some employers might no longer require a bachelor's degree for certain roles, those doing the hiring still might care whether an applicant has one."Firms are wanting credit for removing a requirement, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're changing their hiring at the end of the day," he said.Deming said many employers look upon a worker with a four-year degree as an investment — one that can be molded into what the firm wants.<h2 id="69b8e63e-70be-4448-99d6-752bcbe1d346">Hiring based on skills</h2>The Burning Glass Institute, a nonprofit that examines the future of work and learning, and Harvard Business School found in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/Skills-Based%20Hiring.pdf">study</a> released in early 2024 that even when employers hire people without four-year degrees for roles that once required them, it doesn't occur in large numbers.Hiring for skills or experience rather than for formal education accounted for just one in 700 hires in 2023, the study found.The researchers examined more than 11,000 roles at large firms and compared hiring at least a year before and after the employer ditched a degree requirement. The study reviewed changes in roles from 2014 to 2023.Reluctance by some employers to bring on workers without four-year degrees matters because only about 36% of people 25 and older in the US had a bachelor's degree or higher in 2023, according to the Census Bureau.In part, that's because the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-millennials-skipping-college-living-paycheck-to-paycheck-2024-5">high cost of tuition</a> can be a major barrier.<h2 id="448d7f69-1fca-482e-a27e-c42712ac78c2">A boost for employers</h2>Adding workers based on their abilities rather than what's on their résumé can be a win for business. The consulting firm McKinsey &amp; Company, citing research, notes that hiring for skills is "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/taking-a-skills-based-approach-to-building-the-future-workforce">five times more predictive</a>" of how someone performs on a job than hiring based on educational attainment and more than twice as predictive than hiring based on a person's work history.Boston Consulting Group research found that those hired based on their skills tend to get promoted at about the same pace as traditional hires yet <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/rise-of-skills-based-hiring">stay with an employer</a> for 9% longer.Still, Mona Mourshed, the founding CEO of Generation, a nonprofit network focused on economic mobility, told BI that while many notable and large organizations support skills-first hiring, "the vast majority of employers are not there yet in terms of their practice."She said Generation recently completed nearly 100 interviews with large and midsize employers around the world, including in the US, asking what goes into their hiring decisions. Much of it, she said, comes down to hiring managers wanting to limit risk. Often, it's easiest to go with a résumé that looks similar to what previous hires have had, Mourshed said."Employers will only hire a different profile when they are desperate for talent," she said.Mourshed said that even for organizations that might be open to looking first at skills, cuts to HR departments in recent years have stretched some recruiting teams. That means there could be fewer people to take a second look at someone who doesn't hold the typical academic qualifications, she said.<h2 id="3055d66a-7df6-45c2-8c68-1871f46e67be">The 'easiest and laziest filter'</h2>Chris Hyams, CEO of Indeed, told BI that for many jobs, employers simply default to the degree."What people are looking for, because it's the easiest and laziest filter, is a four-year degree from a 'good school,'" he said.But that's often short-sighted, Hyams said. He pointed to the plight of his brother-in-law, whom Hyams described as "a brilliant guy" who didn't finish college. Instead, he built and ran a music studio before becoming a Salesforce administrator, Hyams said. Yet, he has had a difficult time finding work after losing his job about a year and a half ago."He's been the finalist for five different positions where they said, 'You're actually the best candidate we interviewed, but we require a four-year degree,'" Hyams said. "It's the dumbest thing."According to BCG, there are 70 million workers in America who are so-called STARs — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/rise-of-skills-based-hiring">skilled through alternative routes</a>.<h2 id="38c1ee96-779b-4954-8bf5-e31158131cde">Workers will need more training</h2>In the coming years, many workers will need more, not less, learning to do their jobs. The US Department of Education forecasts that by 2027, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-initiatives/raise-bar/raise-the-bar-postsecondary-and-career-pathways">70% of jobs</a> will require schooling or training beyond high school.Often, that might mean a four-year degree. Researchers at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce estimate that 42% of jobs in 2031 will require candidates to have at least <a target="_blank" href="https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/projections2031/#resources">a bachelor's degree</a>, while 28% of jobs will need someone to have a high school diploma or less.Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company, which produces instructional materials for kindergarten through high school students, told BI that there's often a gap between the "job-ready" skills students possess and what employers seek. She said research has shown that students who don't want to attend college are often not told about alternative paths like internships or career and technical education programs."We have a system that's primarily college-bound," Forsa said.She also said employers might need to adapt their evaluation methods to better assess what job seekers can do. Employers could, for example, look to any certifications an applicant might have earned as a way to hire for skills, not a college degree, Forsa said.The research firm Gartner reported in July that 74% of HR leaders it surveyed believe that most employers are shifting the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/5618392">focus of how they manage talent</a> to skills. Yet only about four in 10 surveyed reported that their organizations had implemented processes that would enable this to play out.Focusing on skills can also be a way to keep people within an organization, not just hire them, according to Jon Lester, the vice president of HR technology, data, and AI at IBM.He told BI that nearly a decade ago, the average IBMer spent 31 hours a year learning new skills. By 2023, that was up to 87 hours. All of this learning, Lester said, assists with retention. It also sits at the heart of how IBM compensates its employees, he said."People get salary increases mostly because of the skills they've learned," Lester said.Research supports that thinking. According to McKinsey, skills learned at work contribute 46% of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/business%20functions/people%20and%20organizational%20performance/our%20insights/the%20state%20of%20organizations%202023/the-state-of-organizations-2023.pdf">average person's lifetime earnings</a>.For her part, as McMillan continues to search for a job, she often breaks down in tears — sometimes several times a week.She said she's been filling out surveys and doing whatever else she can to earn a few extra dollars. Last month, a friend gave her a $50 grocery store gift card to help her get by.When McMillan looks at job listings and contemplates whether a degree is necessary, she said she thinks that even if she had a bachelor's, it would have "dust on it by now.""I definitely would have had to evolve by now if I did get that 20 years ago," she said.Do you have something to share about what you're seeing in the workplace or in your job search? Business Insider would like to hear from you. Email our workplace team from a nonwork device at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:thegrind@businessinsider.com">thegrind@businessinsider.com</a> with your story, or ask for one of our reporter's Signal numbers.

More employers say they don't care if you went to college. Most still seem to.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A power pendulum of sorts is constantly swinging back and forth between employees and employers.</li><li>The businesses are back on top these days as employees lose much of the pandemic power they held.</li></ul>Gone are the days of a plethora of work-from-home jobs and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quiet-quitting-hustle-culture-coasting-viral-work-debate-2022-9">quiet quitting</a>. These days, most American workers may be more worried about being laid off than having to choose between <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/great-resignation-still-going-layoffs-low-job-openings-quits-high-2022-11">dueling job offers</a> — that is if they even have a job.The businesses are <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/employers-still-have-power-in-job-market-great-resignation-2022-6">back on top.</a>Amazon dealt a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-return-to-office-mandate-5-days-week-2024-9">death knell to its hybrid work model</a> this week, eliminating one more mode of flexibility its workers gained amid a national reckoning over work in recent years.The force of the US economy has slowly <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ravin-jesuthasan-why-companies-enforce-rto-mandates-future-of-work-2024-8">stripped employees of the power</a> they briefly amassed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic (or, depending on who you ask, continued to deprive them of a power they never truly had. More on that later).A power pendulum is constantly swinging back and forth between employers and employees, guided by market forces and an ever-changing economy. Sometimes, workers have an outsize influence over their employers, using their <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/salary-raise-controversial-tactic-job-interview-counteroffer-employer-2022-11">leverage to score better working conditions</a> and increased pay. Other times, employers have the power to set workplace norms, and workers are better off keeping their heads down."When one side — capital vs. labor, for example — gets too much power or becomes too dominant, there tends to be pressure to eliminate or equalize that power," said Arne Kalleberg, professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of "Good jobs, Bad Jobs: The Rise of Polarized and Precarious Employment Systems in the United States."While individuals are powerless to control the whims of the market, there are steps employees can take to stay ahead of the swing and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tips-score-raise-even-in-economic-downturn-recession-ceo-2024-8">remain desirable</a> regardless of who holds the workplace power.<h2 id="e88933ec-7368-4791-9f6c-8386fb6e3537">The pendulum of power</h2>While an effective visual metaphor, the pendulum comparison is admittedly imperfect. The cyclical nature of shifting workplace power does swing back and forth between employers and employees, but not automatically. Historical, economic, and social factors all help determine who has control at any moment.Think of it as a supply-demand phenomenon: Whenever the labor market gets tight, and employer demand for workers exceeds the number of available workers, employees gain greater choice and, thus, power. Conversely, during a loose market, when the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-job-market-unemployment-rising-federal-reserve-interest-rate-cut-2024-7">number of workers exceeds</a> the number of available positions, employers have the upper hand.The pattern dates back to at least the late 1800s, Kalleberg said, citing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gilded-age-mansions-photos-wealth-2024-9">The Gilded Age</a> as a pivotal turning point in American employment norms. From the late 1870s through the early 1900s, the country experienced a period of rampant markets and unprecedented employer power, leaving workers disadvantaged and exploited.<div type="image" title="Black and white photo of men standing outside an employment agency during the great depression" height="1875" width="2500" msid="113549863" hostid="261" sizebytes="278826"></div>A mere three decades later, however, the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/investing/what-caused-the-great-depression">power pendulum swung back</a> toward workers with The New Deal, which included unemployment relief and minimum wage legislation, among other worker rights. The pendulum swung on and on through the neoliberal markets of the 1970s and the 1990s employment boom.Which more or less brings us to the post-pandemic <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quitting-job-big-stay-great-resignation-labor-market-economic-outlook-2024-1">present</a>."COVID arrived like a meteor killing the dinosaurs," said Gerald Davis, a professor of business administration at the University of Michigan and author of "The Vanishing American Corporation: Navigating the Hazards of a New Economy." "It changed the way that companies think about the nature of the employment relationship."But while academics and experts agree that the pandemic was an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-from-home-remote-work-changed-economy-pandemic-2023-4">inflection point for American employment</a>, there's much less concurrence about who actually got the power.<h2 id="b5427f5e-40de-4289-bc57-012bceeb8632">COVID changes</h2>The pandemic era gave us <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/great-resignation-what-to-know-who-is-quitting-2021-9">The Great Resignation</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jobs-great-resignation-reshuffle-gen-z-millennials-quitting-switching-careers-2021-10">The Great Reshuffle</a>, workplace trends that saw a certain type of white-collar worker gain the freedom to quit their job and score higher-paying positions at other companies with relative ease. Millions of US workers quit their jobs during the pandemic market boom, leading to a two-decade-high resignation rate.Cat Ward, vice president of employer mobilization at employment nonprofit Jobs for the Future, attributed the reshuffling to employers being forced to reckon with a number of sudden changes, including COVID, shifting generational workplace demographics, the rise of artificial intelligence, and diversity, equity, and inclusion <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dei-programs-america-diversity-equity-inclusion-pushback-how-to-fix-2024-2">(DEI) measures</a>."We've seen this moment over the last four years where there's been a pretty incredible <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/workforce-innovation-series-c-suite-worker-well-being-dei-2024-6">amount of innovation and change</a>," Ward said. "Employers have been on their heels to try and adapt to all this change, and that has put more power in the hands of workers."Kalleberg, however, suggested the narrative of a pandemic boom in employee power was largely overblown. Sure, some employees were able to work from home. Some employees transitioned into higher-paying roles. But much of the COVID-era shifts in workplace norms were <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/essential-workers-coronavirus-hazard-pay-layoff-protection-ppe-2020-5">unequally distributed</a>, he said."For a moment there, it looked like essential workers were going to get a better break, but that seems to have dissipated," Kalleberg said.<div type="image" title="People holding signs that say &quot;Make them pay!&quot; alongside other people" height="1333" width="1777" msid="113549865" hostid="261" sizebytes="139660"></div>While there have been some mini-wins for workers in recent years — Kalleberg pointed to the recent <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2023-year-of-the-strike-unions-sag-aftra-uaw-2023-12">rejuvenation of union activity</a> as one example — the pandemic ultimately cemented an already-existing pattern of increasing employment polarization, he said. The country has steadily seen a rise in high-wage jobs and low-wage jobs, alongside the hollowing out of middle-tier, semi-skilled positions, Kalleberg said.And with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-will-change-most-jobs-employers-help-workers-keep-up-2024-8">generative AI already knocking at the door</a> of many industries, more workplace change is all but guaranteed, experts said. But whether the burgeoning technology will help put power in employer or employee hands remains to be seen.<h2 id="3de5911d-bafe-41ef-ad9c-b27ec471af8a">How to avoid the pendulum's swing</h2>As <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/layoffs-sweeping-us-these-are-companies-making-cuts-2024">layoffs mount</a> across sectors and qualified job seekers <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/applied-hundreds-jobs-struggling-get-hired-bridge-job-2024-6">rack up rejections</a>, employees are facing a dearth of workplace power.While workers can't avoid the power pendulum's effects entirely, there are steps they can take to prioritize resiliency and ensure they remain employable even during a downturn, experts said.One of the most important things workers can do during good times and bad is to build and maintain a flexible mindset, especially when it comes to where they're looking for jobs, according to Ward."Step No. 1 is to always look at where there are more <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-top-20-recession-proof-jobs-by-salary-growth-payscale-2022-12">recession-proof </a>career opportunities," she said.Healthcare, government, technology, nonprofits, education, and accounting are all areas that typically experience stability even during tough economic times, experts said. Meanwhile, industries like tech, media, real estate, and entertainment <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recession-2023-safest-jobs-at-risks-economists-2022-11#:~:text=Professionals%20who%20have%20the%20most,disabled%2C%20Bartosz%20Sawicki%20told%20Insider.">tend to downsize during a recession.</a>Employees should invest in their <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-gen-z-can-build-social-capital-at-work-2021-9">professional social capital</a> as well, Ward said. She encouraged workers to seek out a mentor or get involved in community professional groups, many of which help people rebound after a layoff.Workers will be best-served during difficult times if they adopt a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/a-learning-mindset-is-critical-for-success-says-haleons-us-cmo-katie-williams-2024-6">learning mindset</a> and invest in continual skills development regardless of what the markets are doing, experts said. Holding credentials with market value and relevance can pay off big-time when companies are looking to make cuts.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/community-college-becoming-popular-for-gen-z-to-avoid-debt-2023-5">Community colleges</a> are a great place for people to start, Kalleberg said. The local institutions often offer an array of classes on various subject matters at an affordable price."We can't depend on employers to teach those skills because they won't," he added. "They stopped doing it because they feared they would lose workers."In addition to acquiring technical skills, employees should focus on developing durable human skills, like communication and leadership, Ward said, especially as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-ai-in-business-industry-leaders-panel-2024-4">AI becomes more prevalent</a> in the workplace.<div type="image" title="ChatGPT" height="1667" width="2500" msid="113549861" hostid="261" sizebytes="155226"></div>"People should really be thinking about what it is that humans can uniquely do in the workplace," Ward said.But even as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-job-market-replacing-workers-competition-job-losses-artificial-intelligence-2024-7">machines become ubiquitous</a>, the professional outlook for humans isn't entirely doom and gloom."I'm very impressed by the potential of AI," Kalleberg said. "It's going to eliminate jobs, but it's also going to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-jobs-al-will-create-no-collegee-degree-chatgpt-2023-11">create many more."</a>Artificial intelligence will offer workers endless information at their fingertips, which could eventually <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-use-ai-save-time-work-best-ways-use-chatgpt-2024-9">give them a leg up</a> in terms of skill-building, he said. Workers who have previously lacked solid skillsets will suddenly be able to use technology to enhance the skills they do have or acquire new ones, according to Kalleberg, who suggested the invention could even be one way of rebuilding the middle class.If that turns out to be true, it's only a matter of time before the pendulum swings yet again, and employees take back the power, experts said.And for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-employees-disengaged-work-meaningless-fake-email-jobs-2024-6">America's millions of workers</a>, that day can't come soon enough."Employers have had their way for a long time," Kalleberg said.

The employment power pendulum is always swinging. Here's how workers can stay ahead.

The <keyword id="19924335" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tata-Group" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Tata Group" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Tata Group">Tata Group</keyword> is set to create a massive 5 lakh jobs in the manufacturing sector over the next five years, spanning industries such as <keyword id="20009962" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="semiconductors" source="keywords">semiconductors</keyword>, <keyword id="19895203" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="electric-vehicles" source="keywords">electric vehicles</keyword> (EVs), batteries, and precision manufacturing. Tata Sons Chairman, <keyword id="19981536" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="N-Chandrasekaran" source="keywords">N Chandrasekaran</keyword>, made this announcement on Tuesday, underlining the critical role manufacturing will play in India’s ambition to become a developed nation. Speaking at a symposium organised by the Indian Foundation for Quality Management, Chandrasekaran highlighted that India’s progress depends heavily on its ability to generate <keyword id="22266334" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="manufacturing-jobs" source="keywords">manufacturing jobs</keyword>. He stressed that creating employment in this sector is crucial, given the influx of new workers entering the job market each month. “Through our investments in semiconductors, electric vehicles, precision manufacturing, and related industries, Tata Group expects to generate 5 lakh jobs over the next five years,” Chandrasekaran said as per a PTI report. He pointed to the group’s upcoming semiconductor plant in Assam and new manufacturing facilities for electric vehicles and batteries as significant contributors to this <keyword id="20268654" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="job-creation" source="keywords">job creation</keyword>. Chandrasekaran also talked about the broader impact of these initiatives, explaining that job creation in manufacturing has a multiplier effect, with numerous indirect employment opportunities arising from these projects. According to his calculations, for every direct job created in sectors like semiconductors, up to ten additional indirect jobs could emerge. The Tata Group’s investments will also spur the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with an estimated 5 lakh such businesses expected to form as part of the evolving ecosystem supporting these industries. While praising the government’s support for these initiatives, Chandrasekaran said that India’s vision of becoming a “Viksit Bharat” (developed India) cannot be achieved without substantial growth in manufacturing employment. “Every month, one million people join the workforce, and we need to create 100 million jobs,” he added, reinforcing the urgency of job creation in new-age industries. (With PTI inputs)

Tata Group will generate 5 lakh jobs in 5 years, says Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Kanny is a startup that uses character assessments to improve the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/multiple-job-interviews-a-pain-but-also-benefit-workers-2024-8">hiring processes</a> for employers.</li><li>Character is more crucial than skills, but it's often hard to evaluate, Kanny's CEO told BI.</li></ul>One area of my <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/finding-job-awful-right-now-drop-in-openings-tough-search-2024-9">work</a> where I appear to be better than others is remaining humble.That's according to a survey of some colleagues who rated me on six traits.My coworkers — geniuses, all — made the evaluation using a tool from the startup <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.kanny.com/">Kanny</a>, which aims to improve hiring by assessing what it calls a job candidate's work character."The most important thing when hiring is not hard or soft skills or even expertise. It is character," Kanny CEO and cofounder Sean Vassilaros told me. "It's also the most important or most difficult thing to ascertain."He said Kanny is trying to return some power to the employer — though that may seem counterintuitive to many job seekers, for whom it can feel like bosses hold all of the proverbial cards. Bosses can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-hard-to-find-job-us-though-unemployment-low-2024-2">ghost candidates</a> — or sometimes list <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fake-job-listings-rampant-labor-market-employment-hiring-process-difficult-2024-5">fake jobs</a> — and they can put people through round after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/people-looking-for-jobs-enduring-many-rounds-of-interviews-2024-7">round of interviews</a>.Yet the control that job seekers have, Vassilaros said, is in shaping the narrative of who they are."How many times have you heard the story of, 'Hey, I hired this person. They knocked my socks off in the interview,'" he said. And then "'they turned out to be an absolute disaster.'"Vassilaros said that because workers control their résumé, references, social media presence, and LinkedIn profile, it can be difficult for would-be employers to suss out a sus applicant."The entire hiring process is curated by the candidate," he said. "It's all packaged up in this sales job to hand to you."It's of course reasonable that job seekers would seek to present themselves in the best light, Vassilaros said. The trouble is that when that happens, it often leaves those conducting an interview without a way to get "really good, keen insights.""I, for sure, can't ask your references," he said. "These are your champions, as they should be."<h2 id="d3ff94a0-902b-4c70-a34c-0b99b67ffc75">The reviews are in</h2>I signed up for Kanny, albeit with some trepidation, using my LinkedIn login. That's how Kanny knew who I was and found coworkers. They could have been former colleagues or people I work with now. Someone requesting a review can also limit the ask to former coworkers.Within a day or two of completing my sign-up, I received a few texts and emails from people, leery of a scam, asking whether I actually wanted their feedback on my character. I assured them it was legit and that I would Venmo them in exchange for a favorable review (kidding).Vassilaros said worries about whether the request is valid is one reason the company encourages people to let current and former colleagues know the request is legitimate. Kanny offers templates for email, text, and LinkedIn messages. Users must opt in to see whether and how others have reviewed them.Reviewers rate someone on six criteria: integrity, accountability, respect, humility (ahem), confidence, and grit.A former boss told me it only took a minute or so to complete. That's partly because reviewers move a slider to the left or right. There isn't a field for a reviewer to enter open text.That's by design, Vassilaros said. The idea is to have everyone marked on the same scale. It's a way of making subjective data more objective, he said, and less reliant on sentiment."They can't be like, 'This guy stole my lunch,'" he said. "We don't want that information."The algorithm considers what Vassilaros calls "work relationship" information, including how closely, how long — and how long ago — you worked with someone. Scoring is also set so that if certain reviewers are too negative or too positive, their impact is blunted."This is not meant to tank or to hurt anyone. This is meant, literally, to reward but also give you information on how to develop and get better," he said.Reviewers are anonymous — and responses are only shown in aggregate though it takes at least five reviews before Kanny will generate a report.I only heard from a handful of people, and I'm not sure how many colleagues actually evaluated my character traits. Given my above-average score in some areas, I'd imagine it was only a handful of true believers.Once I logged in to Kanny's website, I could see my ratings on a dashboard and how I compared with other Kanny users —hence my not-so-humble-bragging about my humility. And if I'm honest, my results in that category were only a tiny bit above the average.It was fun to see my scores from mystery colleagues. Yet more important, it struck me that anytime you can offer employers better insights into how a job seekers' colleagues regard them, it could be a notable step toward making the hiring process feel more humane.Users like me can ask others to review them; by the end of the year, Vassilaros said, Kanny plans to open up the tool to corporate customers. That way, an employer could request that an applicant go through the Kanny process and get ratings.He said he plans to integrate Kanny into the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-your-resume-gets-rejected-job-search-bots-people-ats-2024-5">applicant-tracking systems</a> most large employers use to help manage their hiring process.Vassilaros said a recruiter needing to sort through 1,000 applicants for a role might instantly whittle it down to 20 by ranking according to these character snapshots.From there, a recruiter could dig into a person's report to learn about an applicant's strengths and weaknesses.Yet, Vassilaros said, a low score in a particular category might not be a dealbreaker.He offered the example of a software developer who got high marks for accountability and integrity but came in lower on respect. That suggests he might not work well with others, Vassilaros said. "That may be acceptable for that role," he said.<h2 id="8e895964-3bc8-4993-8695-9a4e94228f26">Looking at character in other ways</h2>Kyle Samuels, founder and CEO of the executive search firm Creative Talent Endeavors, told me that understanding an organization's character is crucial when hiring. A company like REI or Patagonia, he said, might focus on helping employees shine, whereas an investment bank might value a more competitive, self-driven worker.Samuels said that an applicant's character can be revealed throughout the hiring process. What is a person's demeanor? Does the candidate show up on time? Is the job seeker rude to his assistant?"Those are things sometimes that have stopped me from even having an interview with a candidate," he said.Samuels has also seen job seekers pass along proprietary information from their current employer to try to impress a prospective boss. That can be a red flag, Samuels said."There are certain companies who will clutch their pearls at that. And there are other companies saying, 'So, you're bringing over your client list, right?'" he said.In some industries, killing it at work might allow individuals with less favorable character traits to thrive, he said. You might be a jerk, Samuels said, but if you brought in $4 million in sales this quarter, an employer might be willing to overlook gaps in character.Samuels said a tool that gets at a candidate's character might be most helpful for lower-level roles, where the interview process is often less extensive than for a senior position.<h2 id="e35ebf96-a7dc-4a90-a51d-86d4132b41d0">Defining character can be messy</h2>Rebecca Arnold, founder of Root Coaching &amp; Consulting, told me that she's not sure that character assessments based on someone's LinkedIn connections would eliminate the type of bias that is often part of a job seeker's references."You probably don't have thousands of enemies in your LinkedIn network," she quipped.Arnold also said that broad terms like respect and integrity can be open to interpretation.Getting it right is important but often difficult for employers, she said."They often only find whether someone is really strong in these characteristics or weak after they've been hired," Arnold said, adding that bringing in people who fall short around character can hurt an organization's culture.Vassilaros, from Kanny, said that the company has technology that can find people you've worked with who might not be connections on LinkedIn. He also said the company tries to define the attributes reviewers use so that the terms are specific to work.Vassilaros added that his experience running other companies made it clear to him how hard it is to determine a candidate's character before making a hire."I was probably batting about a 60% success rate," he said.Vassilaros said his goal is to make character in the workplace a bigger focus."That should drive the conversation," he said.Do you have something to share about what you're seeing in the workplace or in your job search? Business Insider would like to hear from you. Email our workplace team from a nonwork device at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:thegrind@businessinsider.com">thegrind@businessinsider.com</a> with your story, or ask for one of our reporter's Signal numbers.

I tried a tool that lets your coworkers rate your character. The startup behind it wants employers to use it for hiring. 

This article is part of "<a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/workforce-innovation">Workforce Innovation</a>," a series exploring the forces shaping enterprise transformation.After a full day of seeing patients, Missy Scalise used to spend hours at home fleshing out the notes that go into medical records.Then, about a year ago, Scalise, an internal-medicine physician with Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville, started using Suki, an artificial-intelligence tool that generates notes and other data based on her patient conversations."What used to take me two to four hours per full day of clinic now takes me about 30 minutes or so, at most," she told Business Insider.Having <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doctor-burnout-ai-assistant-help-paperwork-administrative-tasks-2023-8">AI working in the background </a>to document what goes on in the exam room has given her more leeway to focus on patients, Scalise said. Several have told her that she seems more present, she added.Part of Scalise's role is chairing a committee on clinician well-being. A couple of years ago, AI wasn't on her radar. Now, she's pushing to get more colleagues to start using the technology to help boost their efficiency.That highlights an important reality: AI will likely change some aspects of nearly all jobs. To keep up, workers will have to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-older-workers-better-than-younger-could-help-hiring-2024-8">add skills and learn</a> as never before, and that will require employers' help.<div type="image" title="Missy Scalise sits with her sons" height="428" width="640" msid="112873678" hostid="261" sizebytes="25154"></div>The breadth of the change to come seems profound. In January, the International Monetary Fund predicted that AI could affect nearly four in 10 jobs globally. For advanced economies, the share of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/Staff-Discussion-Notes/Issues/2024/01/14/Gen-AI-Artificial-Intelligence-and-the-Future-of-Work-542379?cid=bl-com-SDNEA2024001">jobs exposed to AI</a> rose to about six in 10 — about half of the latter in a negative way.In 2023, the World Economic Forum reported that employers expected <a target="_blank" href="https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/digest/#:~:text=All%20but%20two%20technologies%20are,in%20the%20next%20five%20years.">44% of workers' skills</a> to be "disrupted" within five years.It all points to a workforce that will need <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/to-find-or-keep-a-job-become-a-specialist-2024-8">widespread retraining</a>.Ravin Jesuthasan, a coauthor of "The Skills-Powered Organization" and the global leader for transformation services at the consulting firm Mercer, told BI that chief human-resources officers and other leaders would need to think of training — particularly around AI — as something that's just as important as, for example, building a factory."Everyone needs to be really facile with AI," he said. "It's a nonnegotiable because every piece of work is going to be affected."Jesuthasan said that when he talks about AI's widespread reach, he often gets questions like, "Well, what about the plumber who came to my house?"Plumbers, he said, might spend 30 minutes of every few hours turning a wrench. Much of the remainder goes to things like scheduling appointments and understanding the setups of customers' fixtures and piping. AI can help with all that, Jesuthasan said.He said experimenting with AI was a good start but not a viable long-term strategy. More organizations are becoming deliberate in how they invest, he added. That might look like identifying well-defined areas where they will deploy AI so that everyone involved uses the technology.That's part of a mindset of continual learning and reinvention. Without that, he said, both the organization and its workers risk falling behind.Ultimately, Jesuthasan said, organizations should test and learn so that they can be judicious in how they deploy AI and see a return. This shift will require that leaders focus more on skills and less on the strictures of a particular job.It's a big shift."We're talking about the reversal of 140 years of learned behavior and organizational structure and processes to shift from jobs to skills as the currency for work," he said. "You can't eat the elephant in one bite."Jon Lester, the vice president of HR technology, data, and AI at IBM, told BI that business leaders should give experts in various parts of their organizations the time and space to learn what's possible — and to fail. He also said leaders should track the return on investment of their efforts and let their expert employees make decisions.Lester said it's insufficient to drop in the technology without giving other considerations."If we gave this technology without the learning, without the focus on process and experience, we just automated bad processes," he said.Another challenge with inserting AI into an organization is that it's often difficult to tell which skills workers possess and where they might need training.Asteri AI is a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/healthcare-ai-startup-valuations-explode-after-downturn-2024-4">startup</a> that uses large language models to determine the skill levels of an employee base, identify gaps, and forecast what abilities might one day be needed.Julia Grace Samoylenko, Asteri's founder and CEO, told BI that skills are often hidden and difficult to capture and that they tend to change rapidly."We truly believe that AI is the key to solving this problem," she said.It's important for organizations to understand the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-questions-consulting-firms-are-answering-for-clients-2024-6">capabilities of their workers</a>, in part, because it's not advisable — or even possible, in many cases — for <a target="_blank" class="" href=" https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-help-recruit-hire-employees-tech-women-bias-job-seeking-2024-1">employers to hire</a> their way out of a skills deficit, Samoylenko said. That can be especially the case with high-demand areas like AI."We strongly believe in the idea of investing in internal talent rather than bringing in external hires," she said.Aside from concerns about maintaining morale and institutional knowledge, training existing employees can also be easier on the budget. That's because the cost of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247391/fixable-problem-costs-businesses-trillion.aspx">replacing an employee</a> is, conservatively, half to two times the worker's annual salary, Gallup found.Major employers like Johnson &amp; Johnson are also using what's sometimes called "<a target="_blank" href="https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/how-companies-can-use-ai-to-find-and-close-skills-gaps">skills inference</a>" to get a snapshot of workers' skills and how they might be improved.<div type="image" title="54% of HR and talent acquisition leaders say they are hopeful about the potential impact of AI at work." height="1000" width="2000" msid="112873681" hostid="261" sizebytes="40548"></div>For employers that want to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-tackling-jobs-humans-dont-have-time-for-or-want-2024-2">train their workers</a>, an obvious challenge is making sure it's effective.Elise Smith, a cofounder and the CEO of Praxis Labs, told BI that AI could make learning more personalized. The company uses the technology to simulate various work situations. That might involve giving difficult feedback or managing someone who's being disruptive to a team, she said.Praxis Labs is focused on middle managers and potential strong performers because, Smith said, training on these types of interpersonal skills is often concentrated among C-suite leaders."They often have executive coaches," she said. "They're doing role-plays. They're getting coaching on how to navigate these moments all the time." By using AI, Smith said, that type of training can be scaled to reach more workers.Managers can give oral or written feedback in simulations, and the AI can interject to point out slipups."Midconversation, if you haven't asked an open-ended question, we might nudge you to do that because you may not fully understand the situation," she said. "And asking questions is a powerful skill."Smith said the benefits of training could extend beyond the knowledge itself. She said clients had reported managers and employees feeling more engaged. And if the training is successful, it's more likely to stick, Smith added."You're more likely to change your behavior when you're confident about what you've just practiced and that skill you've just built," she said.Organizations are also looking to use <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-career-advice-coach-gen-z-workers-get-ahead-2024-2">AI to empower workers</a> in other ways.Nathalie Scardino, Salesforce's chief people officer, told BI that the company's philosophy is that having AI tools at hand helps workers learn and improve their skills because the tech becomes incorporated into their daily workflow."You're bringing them along in the continued learning experience," she said.Salesforce has pumped out more than 50 AI applications to help its workers do their jobs in new ways, Scardino said. The goal is to make sure workers continue to learn and experiment."Everyone should be able to work with AI and understand the use cases behind the advantages of working with AI," she said.Charlotte Relyea, a senior partner at McKinsey &amp; Co., believes that leaders need to plan now so they can better forecast the abilities workers will need. Given the importance of this task, she said, the process will likely involve not only the head of HR but also the CEO."It's going to require real investment in upskilling and reskilling," she told BI. "So organizations need to be prepared for that."Relyea said leaders should prioritize where they focus most of their efforts on building skills. So it's probably more worth it to train a team with low turnover than one that's always seeing new faces.Leaders need to think about this as a transformation — what she described as "painting the picture of the future."In a recent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/gen-ais-next-inflection-point-from-employee-experimentation-to-organizational-transformation">McKinsey survey</a>, nine in 10 workers said AI tools could improve their work experience. And, often, workers reported incorporating AI into their work faster than their employers."How do you actually harness some of the energy that employees are putting into using gen AI?" Relyea said.She said employers should consider how they could create ways for workers to share ideas and make testing and learning part of the culture.Scalise, the doctor in Nashville, believes that AI tools like the one she's using will be the future of medicine. She's pushing to give the internal-medicine residents she oversees access to the technology as well so that they don't get burned out by administrative tasks and can better focus on patients' needs. She said in the 18 years she's been a doctor, no other tool has changed her practice to this degree."I didn't know it would be this groundbreaking," Scalise said. "I'm ecstatic that it's been so effective."

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