75% of Nigerian employees ready to adopt GenAI at workplace — Report

A new study by Boston Consulting Group in partnership with The Network, The Stepstone Group, and The African Talent Company has revealed that 75 percent of Nigerian workers are willing to adopt Generative Artificial Intelligence in the workplace.

The report, titled ‘How Work Preferences Are Shifting in the Age of GenAI’, reported that Nigerian workers were willing to undergo reskilling to stay ahead in their careers.

“About 150,000 workers across 188 countries were surveyed as part of the 2024 edition of the ‘Decoding Global Talent’ series. Seventy-five percent of Nigerian workers indicated a willingness to undergo reskilling to stay ahead in their careers, indicating their readiness to adapt to the evolving demands of the labour market driven by technological advancements like GenAI, compared to 23 percent who would do so only if necessary,” the report said.

It added that talent is aware but unafraid even if only 5 percent think that GenAI will replace their jobs. 60 percent anticipate that they will need to reskill significantly regarding the impacts of GenAI.

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Further details revealed that Nigerian workers exhibit greater confidence in their job negotiation skills compared to the global average, with 74 percent believing they hold the upper hand in salary discussions.

“Nigerian workers have clear expectations regarding the recruitment process. Globally, 54 percent of workers would reject an attractive job offer after a negative interview experience while only 30 percent would reject an attractive job offer after a negative interview in Nigeria,” the report added.

The report shows that family-friendly benefits, a company’s societal impact, and workplace diversity remain significant factors when considering a job.

It said 53 percent of Nigerians indicated they would not work for companies whose products or services impacted society negatively.

“To attract and retain talent, employers need to solve a complex puzzle. They must anticipate the impact of technology on their workforce and offer robust reskilling programs to help employees stay competitive,” the report said.