Most Aussie CEOs Believe Junior Roles Will Be Most Affected by AI Adoption — Survey

Findings from a recent survey show that most Australian CEOs expect junior roles to be most affected by AI adoption.

Specifically, they believe that the number of junior roles will decrease because of it.

What Does the Survey Say?

According to the Global CEO Survey, 52% of CEOs surveyed believe that junior roles will be slashed due to AI adoption in the next three years.

32%, on the other hand, expect a decrease in mid-level roles, while only 11% say that they expect a decrease in senior-level roles.

"AI will compress organisational hierarchies and accelerate leadership development timelines," the Global CEO Survey said. "Junior employees will be responsible for managing AI outputs, a shift that requires strong strategic decision-making and has the potential to place them in leadership positions almost immediately."

"For senior leaders, the displacement risk doesn't immediately come from AI, but from other leaders who master AI-enabled transformation," the survey added.

The Global CEO Survey emphasizes that a key challenge for Aussie CEOs is striking the balance between caring for people and reducing labour costs.

The survey notes that 17% of surveyed CEOs find this a key concern for their organisations.

Is There Widespread Displacement in Australia?

However, news.com.au notes that other research show that there has been an increase in entry-level roles in the workforce despite the presence of AI.

The report quotes Australian HR Institute CEO Sarah McCann-Bartlett, who says that "While AI may automate routine tasks often performed by junior staff, there is no current evidence of widespread displacement in Australia."

The Global CEO Survey also points out that AI adoption has been slow in Australia. Only 12% of the CEOs say that AI has been largely applied across their products and services.