AI boosts Deloitte's 3x workforce growth
This year, major consulting firms are in a tricky spot—they’re letting go of many employees even though they hired lots of new college graduates to meet increasing demands. Deloitte LLP, one of these firms, is taking a unique approach.
They’re using artificial intelligence to carefully check the skills of their current staff. The idea is to shift people from less busy areas to roles that are more needed. Deloitte sees this as a smart way to adjust their hiring strategy using technology.
While automation might replace certain jobs and skills, there is a silver lining—AI could assist workers in transitioning to more sought-after roles. Leading consulting firms, including Deloitte, are taking steps in this direction.
Deloitte is using AI to evaluate the skills of its existing employees and strategically reassign them to more promising areas within the company. This move is not just about preventing large-scale layoffs but also about adjusting its future hiring plans, as reported by Bloomberg.
Deloitte has implemented changes following the addition of 130,000 new employees this year. However, amidst these hires, the company cautioned numerous US and UK staff members about the potential redundancy of their roles due to necessary restructuring in specific business areas in response to a decrease in demand.
Deloitte and other professional services firms are exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence to streamline tedious tasks traditionally assigned to junior staff. These tasks include preparing documents for internal meetings or collecting extensive data for client presentations. Generative AI, popularised by ChatGPT, can generate coherent responses based on its training on substantial amounts of existing material. In their latest initiatives, these firms aim to leverage this technology to enhance the management of the large number of employees they onboard annually.
However, rather than passively awaiting potential mass layoffs, forward-thinking companies like Deloitte are proactively leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to navigate this dynamic landscape.
Deloitte’s innovative approach hinges on utilising AI-powered skills assessments. This technology unveils the diverse talents residing within their existing workforce, illuminating potential pathways towards roles of burgeoning demand within the evolving business ecosystem. By harnessing this data-driven intelligence, Deloitte is not only empowered to minimise the need for extensive redundancies, but also strategically calibrate their future hiring needs, as reported by Bloomberg.
In essence, Deloitte’s bold wager lays claim to AI not merely as a harbinger of job displacement, but rather as a strategic workforce navigator. This technology paves the way for internal reskilling and redeployment, guiding employees towards future-proofed careers within the company itself. By prioritising talent transformation over outright replacement, Deloitte’s proactive approach offers a compelling model for both businesses and workers to navigate the age of automation with mutual benefit.
