The winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Economics, Christopher Pissarides, issued a warning this Tuesday to young people to avoid studying STEM disciplines (the acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, used to encompass studies of a technical nature). According to an interview with Pissarides collected by Bloombergthis economist specialized in the analysis of the labor market and professor at the London School of Economics has argued that in a scenario of strong impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market, jobs that require empathy and creative skills are the ones that best perspective they have.
Pissarides believes that workers in certain positions related to information technologies would be “sowing the seeds of their own self-destruction” by developing artificial intelligences capable of doing their jobs in the future. Although the expert is generally optimistic regarding the impact of AI on the labor market as a whole, he is especially concerned about those who are directing their training towards STEM areas in the hope of riding the crest of the wave of AI. technological transformation. Although the demand for professionals of this type is currently increasing rapidly, Pissarides says that this boom will eventually subside and that the more traditional professions based on humane treatment, such as doctor, nurse, cook or waiter, will continue to dominate the market. working market.
“The skills that are so needed now – collecting data, filtering it, and writing code to develop the next phase of AI, one in which this technology can be used in more jobs – will eventually become obsolete precisely because that AI will do that job,” asserts Pissarides. “Despite the fact that there is still growth in this field, it will not create as many jobs as may be necessary for all STEM graduates.”
According to data from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, in the 21/22 academic year in Spain there were 1.07 million students enrolled in degrees at Spanish public universities. Of that total, 290,943, 26.97%, were enrolled in science, engineering or architecture degrees. Regarding Vocational Training, a article from the education publication of the Community of Madrid, estimated that 32.3% of those enrolled in VET were in STEM-related courses. In that same article, despite having identified a constant increase in STEM students, it was stated that the numbers of students were insufficient to cover the demand for professionals. The Adecco experts agreed with this vision in their latest report on the most in-demand profiles in our country, although the document also partially agreed with Pissarides in the sense that the professions to which the expert refers are also in high demand. .
“This is the case of professionals in the IT field, who have been the most difficult positions to fill for years and whose demand is growing exponentially without being able to train enough personnel coming out of universities, vocational training centers and the like to cover this high level.” demand; health personnel (although they have always been highly sought after professionals, since the outbreak of the health crisis they are more in demand than ever at any level: assistants, DUES, doctors, laboratory technicians in the Lifescience part…); and the technical profiles and/or with FP qualifications associated with the development of the Industry such as electromechanics, forklift drivers, welders, trades, operators for the food sector, quality and production technicians. maintenance,” says the report.
“But this shortage also happens when looking for qualified profiles associated with the development of Services, such as sales and administrative staff with languages, teleoperators, and hospitality staff (the last two years it has been seen more intensely than ever). the lack of qualified personnel to cover the high demand for positions that the reactivation of tourism and hospitality activity after the health crisis brought associated); and also, in general, this is the case of engineers,” the aforementioned document added.
In an analysis of the impact of AI on employment published last August, the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that AI will create more jobs than it will destroy, automating some tasks rather than completely replacing workers. “The occupational group with the highest number of tasks exposed to generative artificial intelligence like Chat GPT is office workers, with the majority of their tasks having at least a medium exposure to automation and a quarter of them with a very high. As a result of technological development, many of these jobs will never emerge in developing countries, where they have traditionally served as a way to increase female employment. For other types of intellectual jobs, the exposure is only partial, suggesting rather a potential for productivity improvement rather than job substitution. Most jobs and industries are only partially exposed to automation and AI is more likely to complement employment rather than destroy it,” the ILO experts wrote.
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