An Executive Search Perspective on AI and Employment

History can be a great teacher.  Looking at what has happened in the past gives us a great perspective to how to respond to current events.  Responding exactly as we did in the past is not necessarily the right answer, but it is a start to a well thought out approach to issues facing us today.

Word Processers Were Going To Replace Administrative Assistants (Secretaries)

My mother was a Secretary at the synagogue that my family attended.  I remember getting a call from her (sometime in the 1980’s).  The synagogue was getting a major technology upgrade – they were getting a Word Processor.  (They were probably moving to an early version of a computer, but that was not the focus of the call.)  My mom’s question to me was, “will this word processor replace me”?   I told her it would not – there would still be a need for what she did at the synagogue.  The clergy would not change what they needed.  Her job would change but not go away.  I remember her being very relieved. 

The title Secretary largely went away.  The need for administrative work, however, did not.  The work has been restructured, but there was no massive total loss of employment. 

Computers Were Going To Replace Paper AND Computers Were Going To Replace People 

My desk and the desks of most professionals I know would ‘beg to differ’.  While we probably print less, we still review documents with a pen and highlighter.  We still carry copies of reports and back-up data to meetings.  We use less stationery; we use more copy paper. 

And people – jobs did indeed change due to computer technology.  We can be more efficient.  We do more in a day than we could in the past.  We can respond to items more quickly.  The work still has to be done – and there is always more to do.  Total employment, anecdotally . . . . . nothing changed other than the functional areas in which we work today. 

The Wall Street Journal Career Opportunities Section, Monster, LinkedIn and Indeed Were Going To Replace Traditional Recruiting And Executive Recruiting

Before Monster, LinkedIn, Indeed, and other online job boards, many executive and professional positions were advertised in the Wall Street Journal Career Opportunities section.  I occasionally used it when I was at The Pillsbury Company (1986 – 1989).  Running an ad in the Wall Street Journal was wildly expensive – running several thousand dollars.  And we got lots of responses.  (It was the very early version of what I often call ‘post and pray’ – post a position and hope that the right people will see it.)

Monster was next; then came LinkedIn.  The methods for finding people have changed, but not the need for the staffing (talent acquisition) function.  Technology changes process – but not the overall need. 

What About AI?  Are Jobs Going Away?

I have been known to say (starting about two years ago) that AI will not replace people; it will replace people that do not know how to use AI.  Was I right?  It’s too early to fully tell. 

There are so many things we can do with and through AI – too many to list and fully think through.  Some jobs can be replaced easily.  Many (most?) jobs cannot so simply be replaced.  Human judgement is still needed.  We learn daily that AI responses are fraught with falsehoods (hallucinations).  AI won’t catch those without human interaction. 

Recent Articles Relating To Employment And AI

I am a daily reader of the Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) Business Journal – morning and afternoon.  I am also a weekly reader of the Electronic Recruiting Exchange (ere.net).  There have been three recent articles about employment and AI that are ‘contrary’ to the doom/gloom employment predictions. 

• AI is being blamed for job cuts.  New data offers a different story. 
  • This article appeared in the April 28, 2026 MSP Business Journal.  It addressed hiring trends that resulted in substantial overhiring during the pandemic.  Job cuts with some employers came afterwards – timed with the greater ‘appearance’ of AI as a tool. The employers referenced in the article (Amazon, Google and Meta) showed little employment change from pre-pandemic to today.
• The Rise of Experience Intelligence:  Why Human Connection Is The New Leadership Advantage
  • This article, found on ere.net, has an April 1, 2026 date on it.  I found it (on ere.net) in the middle of May (May 15, 2026) and posted it to my LinkedIn feed.  There is one line from the article that seems to capture the essence of the piece:  “Increasingly, leadership effectiveness is defined by the quality of human experiences leaders create.”  The author, Ron Thomas, defines the leadership equation as People Skills + Technical Skills = Organizational Health. 
• AI might not be the cause of the Gen Z jobs crisis
  • This article appeared in the June 8, 2026 MSP Business Journal.  While there was no firm conclusion (or, in my opinion, end to the story – yet), there was reference to the Liberty Street Economics blog from the New York Federal Reserve that points to the rise of remote work as being the culprit of the Gen Z job crisis.  The authors estimated that remote work can explain 64% of the unemployment increase.  If you have remote workers, you need to hire people with more experience who can handle the different discipline remote work requires. 

Back To The Essence Of The Blog Title:  Is AI Causing Job Losses?

The answer to the Blog title is that it is too early to tell.  It likely explains job changes, but it is not the crisis that many think it is.  And I can confidently say (for now) that at the executive level, we are not seeing jobs go away.  Yes, jobs are changing but not disappearing. 

I will partially stay with my opening supposition – that AI will not replace people; it will replace people that do not know how to use AI.  But there is so much more to this evolving story – work changes since the pandemic is just one of the factors. 

My advice – keep learning AI and continue to focus on being the expert of what you do and where you do it.  Both will keep you employed and employable.