The Stepstone Group study: How Germans think AI will revolutionise the world of work

Duesseldorf, 15/06/2023

The Stepstone Group study: How Germans think AI will revolutionise the world of work

  • 6 out of 10 employees (63 percent) expect AI to increase their productivity
  • AI in the hiring process: More than half see efficiency gains in the application process
  • Around 67 percent of recruiters believe AI can shorten the time to hire

Duesseldorf, 15.06.2023. More than one in two Germans (52 percent) are convinced that AI technology can revolutionise their daily tasks and work processes in the next five years. This is the conclusion of a recent study on AI and the labor market by The Stepstone Group, one of the world's leading recruiting platforms.
But the 3,000 respondents aren’t satisfied with the speed of the innovations: 6 out of 10 respondents (62 percent) say that their own employer does not invest enough in training and development programmes to support them in the effective use of AI technology. At the same time, 44 percent rate those companies that are leaders in AI technology and applications as highly attractive employers.

Companies in the debt of gratitude
"Companies need to lead the way in removing uncertainty about AI. Employees should be encouraged and empowered to integrate AI tools into their daily work," says Sebastian Dettmers, CEO of The Stepstone Group. "When AI takes repetitive tasks off our hands, we can focus on the exclusively human skills that will become increasingly important in the future: Creativity, problem-solving skills and empathy. In these, we humans will continue to be superior to artificial intelligence."
65 percent of respondents believe that artificial intelligence will have a moderate to large impact on their everyday work. 63 percent also assume that their productivity will increase significantly with the help of AI - and that its use will not lead to their work being replaced at some point.
Dr Tobias Zimmermann, labour market expert at The Stepstone Group and head of the study: "There is a lot of interest in AI. No surprise there! Companies that invest now both in automation as well as the employees and their skills create a double competitive advantage for themselves: they are not only technological pioneers, but also more attractive employers. - In times of the great people shortage, this is more important than ever."

AI ensures fast processes in recruiting
In terms of application processes, for example, the use of AI can lead to a significant increase in efficiency for the benefit of applicants. More than half (55 per cent) of the respondents agreed with this. Artificial intelligence can also make day-to-day business easier for recruiters: two-thirds of respondents anticipate that AI could reduce manual tasks and shorten the time to hire in the future.
"Artificial intelligence is currently triggering a revolution across all sectors. It will be a game changer for the labour market. Job seekers and companies will find each other much faster in the future. The matches between skills, personality, desires on the one hand and tasks, culture, offerings on the other will become better and better, so that recruiters and applicants can focus on what really counts: the human impression," says Dr Tobias Zimmermann.

About the AI study by The Stepstone Group
We are currently experiencing the next big revolution in the labour market. And we are all part of it: artificial intelligence will fundamentally change the world of work as we know it. Automation, increased efficiency and new job opportunities are just some of the expected effects. What opportunities does AI offer the working world in Germany and how do employees view the use of AI? The Stepstone Group investigated these and other questions in an online survey. More than 3,000 people took part in the survey from mid-May to early June 2023. Of these, about 24 per cent have leadership responsibilities, while about 19 per cent work in recruiting. The results are representative of the working population in Germany.