A Deloitte Switzerland study published this week challenges a common assumption: artificial intelligence will not fill the labor shortage affecting Switzerland. It could even worsen it in some sectors.
The finding is clear. Artificial intelligence is transforming the Swiss labor market, but it is not expected to resolve the skills shortage caused by demographic trends. Human workers remain in demand in healthcare, skilled trades, and transport, according to the Deloitte Switzerland study covering 279 occupations.
Two diverging labor markets
AI can facilitate documentation, planning, administration, and information searches, with possible job cuts in software or marketing. However, in the near future it cannot care for elderly or sick people, teach children, or perform manual work. As a result, many vacancies in occupations where AI can do little to take over core tasks will remain unfilled, while knowledge-intensive office roles will see their tasks automated and new requirements emerge.
For recruiters, this means reassessing priorities for vocational training and career-transition pathways into healthcare, hospitality, logistics, or skilled trades. For candidates currently working in administrative or office roles, it is a warning sign: AI proficiency is becoming necessary, but it is no longer enough to secure a position if the core tasks can be automated.
This week: list the repetitive tasks in your role (documentation, reporting, information searches) and identify those an AI tool could already perform. For each one, note a non-automatable human skill (negotiation, complex judgment, customer relations) that you can highlight in your next interview or on your LinkedIn profile.