How Gen Z Can Win in an AI-Shaped Job Market: Focus on Tasks, Not Titles

As Generation Z enters a labour market being reshaped by AI pilots, hiring slowdowns and cautious managers, an AI researcher offers practical advice: emphasise the tasks you can perform and how you can apply AI to improve them, rather than chasing prestigious job titles.

James Ransom, a research fellow at University College London who studies AI's effects on work, says the landscape is changing quickly but does not point to an imminent collapse in jobs. Instead, he sees a short-term productivity opportunity for workers who can use AI effectively and responsibly.

Look at jobs as bundles of tasks

Ransom and major institutions — including the IMF, OECD, World Bank and the International Labour Organization — break roles into component tasks to assess automation risk. Their analyses show few occupations are entirely automatable because many tasks still require human judgment, oversight or interpersonal skills.

“You might see a role where most tasks appear exposed, but the remaining task — for example, team management and quality checks — can be indispensable,” Ransom explains.

That nuance matters: instead of labeling whole jobs as safe or doomed, identify which specific activities within a role can be augmented or automated and which require a human in the loop.

Demonstrate AI fluency and measurable impact

Ransom emphasises AI fluency: many organisations lack staff who understand what large language models (LLMs) can and cannot do. Younger workers can gain an edge by showing concrete results from using AI tools.

Clear, measurable outcomes matter. Documented examples could include:

• Number of outputs produced using an AI-assisted workflow.
• Hours saved on repetitive tasks and the resulting productivity gains.
• Accuracy improvements or error reductions after AI implementation.
• A repeatable playbook for scaling the approach across teams.

Employers value candidates who can point to metrics and explain how they built repeatable processes — not just those who name-drop tools or titles.

Think short-term augmentation, plan for longer disruption

Ransom frames the current period as an “augmentation” phase: organisations are experimenting with AI to boost productivity. But he warns this window may be limited. As automation matures, some headcounts could be trimmed — echoing the pattern from the ATM era, when banks initially hired while testing new technology and later reduced staff once automation settled in.

The pace and shape of this shift will be uneven across industries and regions. For now, Ransom expects a human-in-the-loop period of roughly three to five years during which oversight, judgment and persuasion remain essential.

Practical advice for Gen Z

To stay relevant:

• Master task-level skills: Break roles down and learn the tasks that matter most.
• Build AI fluency: Understand strengths and limitations of LLMs and other tools.
• Show measurable impact: Track outputs, time savings and accuracy gains.
• Preserve human strengths: Focus on leadership, social skills, oversight and decision-making.
• Create playbooks: Turn successful experiments into repeatable processes teams can adopt.

“To safeguard yourself, do the things that AI can’t,” Ransom advises — especially tasks involving interaction, social skills, leadership and oversight — while becoming adept at using AI to solve problems rather than being replaced by it.