Expert urges workers to shape AI transition and keep learning

Workers should help shape the adoption of artificial intelligence and continue their education, an expert from Angestellte Schweiz told SRF, as uncertainty over jobs grows. The labour organisation says younger workers are particularly concerned about their prospects.

A study commissioned by Angestellte Schweiz found that people under 30 feel more uncertain than those over 50. Younger workers may be comfortable using AI tools, said Tanja Tanneberger of the organisation, but they are at the start of their careers and have less work experience.

Angestellte Schweiz also says job postings for entry-level positions and internships are declining. AI is changing work wherever people use screens, Tanneberger said, describing the shift as a profound transformation of the labour market. She advised people to stay flexible and choose work that AI can complement rather than replace.

A study by the think tank einstAIn found that AI is now part of daily work in many industries. It plays a smaller role in trades and has less impact on social care and nursing jobs. Older workers, meanwhile, may worry that skills they have built over years will no longer be needed, or find new AI tools difficult to use. Tanneberger said continuing education is important and urged employers to invest in training and people, not only technology.

A representative Angestellte Schweiz survey found that one in four people in Switzerland was worried about their job, while one in 10 considered it very likely they would lose it within the next 12 months. Respondents cited company decisions, cost pressures and AI as reasons for concern; geopolitical upheaval was mentioned less often. According to einstAIn, 850,000 of the three million jobs it examined in Switzerland are strongly affected by change.

Tanneberger said earlier technological shifts, including the move from typewriters to computers and from fax to email, had also caused fears that people would be left behind. Those fears did not come true, she said, though it remains to be seen whether the AI transition will follow a similar course. She called for open dialogue and transparent communication between employers and employees.

Patrick Chuard-Keller, chief economist at the Swiss Employers’ Association, recently told SRF News that jobs being affected by AI does not automatically mean they will be cut. The association says companies facing labour shortages linked to demographic change have an interest in using AI to increase productivity. The think tank einstAIn has also urged businesses to develop long-term AI strategies rather than focus only on short-term efficiency gains.