Despite a growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the business world, with 75% of companies now integrating the technology into their operations, only 35% of employees received specific AI training last year, according to Randstad’s latest report, “Understanding the talent shortage: AI and equity.”

The study, conducted from 5 to 22 August, is based on responses from 12,429 workers across 15 markets in Europe, Asia Pacific and North America and also draws on data from more than three million professionals, collected from September 2023 to September 2024. Conducted in collaboration with Evalueserve, an international research and analysis firm, the study highlights the growing gaps between companies investing heavily in AI and talent training, which is struggling to keep pace. While demand for AI skills is exploding--fivefold in the space of a year--the report highlights a skills gap in the field, exacerbated by growing disparities between employees.

Men account for 71% of professionals qualified in AI, compared with 29% for women, according to the survey. This gap is narrowing slightly among the younger generations: women with 30 years of experience in the sector make up 21% of qualified professionals, while this proportion rises to 34% among those with less than one year of experience.

The most worrying disparities are at generational level. Whilst younger workers are rapidly adopting AI into their jobs, baby boomers are clearly lagging behind. Fewer than one in three baby boomers (31%) currently use AI, while almost half (48%) of Generation Z are exploiting the technology.

Recommendations for an inclusive adoption of AI

“The talent shortage is a significant global challenge, so equitable access to skills, resources and opportunities must be a fundamental part of the response to this problem. However, when it comes to AI, demand continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, as does the equity gap it creates. If we do not recognise this and take active steps to remedy it, the pool of workers prepared for the future of work will be too small, creating even greater shortages in all sectors of activity,” said Randstad CEO Sander van’t Noordende.

To bridge this gap and improve their competitiveness, Randstad recommends that companies:

- rethink training: accelerate and diversify programmes to ensure that all demographic groups are up to speed with developments in AI;

- explore opportunities and limitations: critically assess the potential and limitations of AI, tackling biases and ensuring that talent is well prepared to use the technology effectively;

- adapt pathways: target the specific barriers faced by different groups in adopting AI to tailor training approaches;

- strengthen partnerships: promote collaboration between companies, training organisations and other partners to harmonise AI skills at global level.

This article was originally published in .