Artificial Intelligence to change the profile of employees sought in the Business Services Industry

The era of artificial intelligence is just beginning, and fully harnessing the benefits of this technology requires time and managing numerous challenges. Activities such as customer support, software testing/development, marketing, and financial-accounting services could represent over 70% of artificial intelligence use cases in the near future.

For this reason, the Business Service Leaders Association (ABSL) is organizing the 11th edition of the national conference focusing on artificial intelligence and its impact on the business services industry and life in general. At the conference’s opening, ABSL will release the annual report of the business services industry, providing an overview of the sector and its trends.

According to the ABSL 2023 report, only 26% of companies in the industry currently use artificial intelligence and machine learning in their services, a percentage that is also reflected globally across different industries, while 74% of outsourcing companies in Romania use basic automation in customer service activities.

It is estimated that artificial intelligence will work best for employees with higher education, potentially automating up to 60% of their current processes. This is expected to substantially increase labor productivity, with estimates suggesting that half of the current work processes could be automated between 2030 and 2045.

“A hundred years ago, in the science fiction novels of Karel Capek (the inventor of the word ‘robot’), it was anticipated that robots would predominantly replace employees with intensive physical activity. Now, we see that in reality, they more often assist those with higher education and intellectual activity. It is somewhat counterintuitive but not necessarily bad news, as there is enormous potential for productivity growth. If we manage to integrate artificial intelligence into the development of products with the highest share in our industry (financial services, IT, and HR offered by over 65% of responding companies according to the latest ABSL study), we can keep Romania in a competitive position in the region, despite the salary increases induced by inflation,” says Cătălin Iorgulescu, Vice-President of ABSL.

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According to the ABSL report, most companies (77%) recorded better results in 2023 compared to 2022, while employee numbers grew by 10% in the last two years. These aspects indicate an increase in productivity and, equally, in process automation.

Combining generative Artificial Intelligence with all other technologies, work automation could add up to 3.5 percentage points annually to productivity growth. However, employees will need support to learn new skills, while some jobs will change.

“In our industry, where human resources are essential, we estimate that by 2030, 60% of job requirements will focus around skills such as creativity, teamwork, proactivity, adaptability, and digital knowledge, with employees having technical or economic profiles being particularly sought after,” explains Ciprian Dan, President of ABSL.

According to ABSL data, the average employee number growth forecasted for the next two years in the business services industry is 10%, with an estimated national total of approximately 200,000 employees.

The ABSL report shows that the industry is predominantly represented by university centers: Bucharest leads with over 70% of industry employees, followed by Cluj, Timișoara, and Iași, which together account for approximately 20%. Among emerging locations, Brașov and Sibiu are notable. One in three companies reported opening offices in two or more cities.

The study was conducted by ABSL in collaboration with PwC between August and October, on a sample of 77 companies with a combined total of over 55,000 employees. The event is supported by ACCA, Accenture, AICPA & CIMA, Booking Holdings, Capgemini, Genpact, Societe Generale Global Solution Centre, Telus International, Valoris Center.