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Admin January 2, 2024 Business Leave a comment 200 Views

We published this story on Yahoo en Español in January 2023. We showed it again to our users because it was the most viewed and commented on our site throughout the year.

In the last great crisis, i.e. 2008, massive layoffs were decided by the owners. Now, in 2023 and with a potential recession knocking on the door, the next wave of forced sick leave is likely to be chosen by an algorithm. Yes, a computer program will be able to choose who will do their job and who will go out. Humans will simply follow your orders.

According to a recent survey by Captera, 98% of human resources managers say they would rely, at least in part, on computer programs or algorithms to decide who to fire in the event of a recession expected in 2023. Will do, which helps the little ones. Business Companies choosing software.

Sorting out the impending recession could be done by an algorithm (Getty Creative) (Anchali Phanmaha via Getty Images)

That percentage is up from the 2% of large companies that turned to Big Data during the Great Recession of 2007-09, according to Captera, a unit of technology research giant Gartner. In November, Captera surveyed 300 HR directors at large companies and some small and medium-sized companies.

“Over the last 15 years, the HR software market has exploded,” says Brian Westfall, principal HR analyst at Captera, speaking to TechXplore. Company managers “rely on the system … to make a lot of decisions, and that will extend to the layoff decisions they make.”

HR technology companies say the software humanizes layoff decisions by instantly calculating a range of employee metrics such as skills, performance and productivity, and even predicting the outcome if employees are fired. Eliminates prejudice. Some employees and others are retained.

But critics say algorithms can also make overly simplistic decisions, ignoring nuances that a human can take into account, such as whether an incompetent boss makes it difficult for an employee to perform well.

How do companies decide on layoffs?

35% of HR executives surveyed say they will be guided mostly or exclusively by Big Data when cutting labor costs. 20% say their decisions will be guided largely or exclusively by “gut instinct”, meaning a person will make decisions with little or no help from a computer.

About half the people adopt a middle of the road approach. 46% of HR professionals say they will trust data and instinct equally.

Westfall says tech companies like Amazon, Facebook parent company Meta and Twitter have already been relying heavily on the software, leading to the layoff of thousands of employees in 2022 and early 2023.

Westfall says companies turn to these programs not only to figure out who to fire, but also to decide how to reduce labor costs, for example by laying off employees. Instead of their hours being cut.

Westfall says that in recent years, companies have increasingly implemented human resources software, and algorithms that help them screen job applicants and decide who they hire, comparing layoff programs. have become more widespread.

Layoffs due to Artificial Intelligence

Technology will not only put people out of jobs immediately, but it is already causing many people to lose their jobs. Google is the latest company to announce major job cuts in line with its focus on artificial intelligence.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google’s parent company Alphabet, announced in a Friday blog post titled “A Difficult Decision to Prepare for the Future” that the company is cutting nearly 12,000 positions to better capitalize on “Google’s early investments in AI.” Making cuts. “Pursue the substantial opportunity in front of us with AI in our products.” This will soon include sharing “completely new experiences for users, developers, and businesses,” Pichai said.

Microsoft also announced mass layoffs this week, with CEO Satya Nadella calling artificial intelligence “the next big wave of computing” and speaking of the need to “consistently deliver results while investing in our long-term opportunity.”

The New York Times reported that Microsoft is considering investing $10 billion in its company OpenAI, which is known for creating the ChatGPAT communication robot. And the Times also noted that Microsoft is in the process of acquiring Activision, a gaming platform, which Nadella has said could contribute heavily to his AI plans.

And we can’t forget Facebook. In November, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that more than 11,000 jobs had been cut as the company shifted resources to its AI-powered search engine, its advertising and business platforms, and metaverse efforts like Reality Labs, which builds AI. Focuses intensely on projects using.