Salesforce has unveiled new research, conducted in partnership with NewtonX, showing that agentic AI adoption is expected to skyrocket by 327% by 2027. The study, published on May 5, 2025, highlights how HR leaders are planning significant workforce changes, including redeploying a quarter of their workforce to new roles as digital labour becomes more integrated into their organizations.
Insights from the Research
The research, which surveyed 200 chief HR officers (CHROs), chief people officers, and global HR leads, reveals critical shifts in workforce strategies and skills requirements in the digital labour era:
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81% of CHROs plan to reskill employees to prepare them for more advanced roles, aligning with the evolving digital economy.
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Once agentic AI is fully implemented, HR leaders expect a 30% boost in productivity and a 19% reduction in labour costs.
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61% of CHROs believe that most of their workforce will stay in their current roles while collaborating with AI agents.
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88% of CHROs view redeployment as more cost-effective than hiring externally for new roles.
The Role of Reskilling and Soft Skills
As AI technology reshapes the workforce, reskilling has become a priority for HR leaders:
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AI literacy has emerged as the top skill workers need to thrive in the agentic economy, according to 75% of CHROs.
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In the near term, HR leaders plan to reassign employees to technical roles like data scientists or technical architects.
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HR chiefs also see an increasing need for soft skills, particularly collaboration and adaptability, as digital labour works alongside human employees.
Workforce Transformation and AI Integration
Looking to the future, 80% of CHROs believe that within five years, most workforces will consist of both human employees and AI agents, working together to achieve organizational goals. In line with this, 86% of CHROs say that integrating digital labour into their existing workforce will be a crucial part of their strategy.
The study underscores the profound impact that agentic AI will have on the workforce and the essential role reskilling will play in enabling employees to thrive in an increasingly automated world. As HR leaders prepare for this transformative shift, it’s clear that the future of work will be one of collaboration between humans and AI.
Source – Recruiter News And Business Intelligence
