Must Workers Upskill for AI? LinkedIn's CEO Says Yes

The workplace is shifting at pace, and Microsoft's leadership believes traditional career planning may no longer serve employees effectively.

This perspective comes as the tech giant's LinkedIn subsidiary releases guidance for workers navigating an AI-transformed employment landscape.

LinkedIn's Chief Economic Opportunity Officer Aneesh Raman has co-authored "Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI" alongside the platform's CEO Ryan Roslansky, who also serves as Executive Vice President of Microsoft.

The publication arrives as organisations grapple with integrating artificial intelligence while also maintaining focus on human talent development.

Rethinking career trajectory planning

The traditional five-year career plan is becoming obsolete, according to Ryan. Speaking on the "No One Knows What They're Doing" podcast on YouTube in December 2024, he challenged conventional wisdom around long-term career mapping.

"You'll hear people frequently say, 'hey, you have a five-year plan, like, chart out what the next five years of your life are going to look like, and then follow the path and follow that plan," the CEO explained.

"And in reality, when you know technology and the labour market and everything is moving beneath you, I think having a five-year plan is a little bit foolish."

Instead, Ryan suggested workers should prioritise identifying learning objectives and desired experiences rather than fixed outcomes.

What employers need from candidates

The characteristics employers seek in candidates are also evolving rapidly. According to Business Insider, Ryan outlined at an informal chat at the company's office in October 2024 that successful candidates are "adaptable, forward-thinking, ready to learn and ready to embrace these [AI] tools".

This shift appears particularly relevant for recent graduates entering a challenging market.

Ryan's comments came whilst discussing how Gen Z graduates face the reality that degrees no longer guarantee six-figure salaries, with data from the New York Fed showed unemployment rates for graduates stood at 4.8%, compared to 4% across all workers.

The changing criteria for employability means AI literacy becomes as fundamental as traditional qualifications, requiring HR departments to reassess both recruitment strategies and internal training programmes.

Human capabilities in an AI landscape

Announcing the book on LinkedIn on 14 January 2025, Ryan framed the current moment as immediate rather than distant. "The future of work is not off on the horizon. It is here now, moving fast, shaped by the choices we make today," he wrote.

"AI is already changing how we learn, how we create and how we move forward," he added. "The real question is not what the technology can do. The real question is what we choose to do with it."

The publication explores how AI is reshaping work and the implications for workers navigating daily changes, according to Microsoft's Chief Communications Officer Frank X. Shaw in a blog post.

However, the emphasis remains on human-centred approaches. Frank said: "Microsoft and LinkedIn sit at an intersection of how work is done and how careers are built.

"We share a belief that the future of work will be driven by human creativity and ingenuity, not technology alone."

Ryan reinforced this perspective, noting: "Technology can be remarkable. But it cannot dream. It cannot care. It cannot lead. Only people can do that.

"When we stay curious, when we keep learning, when we move forward even in uncertain moments, we shape what becomes possible."

Frank suggests AI presents opportunities for "rethinking how work gets organised and cultivating a Frontier mindset: the conviction that the most important innovations happen at the edges, where uncertainty is highest and the opportunity to shape what comes next is greatest".

The book aims to position workers to use AI as enhancement rather than replacement, supporting everything from job applications to career progression.

Ryan added: "Moments like this do not just test our skills. They reveal our character and our willingness to lead this moment."

As organisations integrate AI capabilities, the challenge for HR professionals is balancing technological adoption with the human creativity and leadership that Ryan argues remains irreplaceable.