- According to the latest figures published by the Labour Force Survey, the number of unemployed seniors in Spain stands at 837,600. At the same time, the artificial intelligence job sector is growing, so that by 2025 there will be 22% more job offers related to AI than professionals available, according to the IndesIA report, "The AI and Data Talent Market".
- Generación SAVIA, the project of the Endesa Foundation in collaboration with the Máshumano Foundation, has been driving the employability of senior professionals for over five years, training them on the skills and tools required, so they are ready to face these changes and develop skills to take advantage of the opportunities offered by AI.
- Jesús García Fernández, senior professional participating in Generación SAVIA, mentions that "I have increased my performance by 500% thanks to AI". Moreover, Raúl Mata Jiménez, project collaborator, warns that "AI needs the judgement and experience of seniors to discriminate which data is real and which is necessary, in addition to providing professionals over 50 with a useful tool to save time and effort".
n an increasingly competitive and dynamic labour market, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as the partner of senior professionals looking to re-enter the job market or start their own project. According to the figures of the latest Labour Force Survey (LFS), there are currently 837,600 over 50s unemployed in Spain, a third of the total unemployed population.
Faced with this reality, AI offers specific possibilities for over 50s who are unemployed. This is shown by the report published in 2023 by IndesIA "The AI and Data Talent Market", which estimates that during the past year approximately 20% of AI-related offers could not be filled due to a lack of professionals. The study also shows that job openings and the number of professionals working in the world of AI increased by 32% between 2021 and 2022, and by 20% between 2022 and 2023. The data shows that there are not enough professionals specialising in AI to cover the current and future demand, since it is estimated that by 2025 there will be 22% more AI-related job offers than available professionals and that this situation will not begin to improve until 2030.
Generación SAVIA, the Fundación Endesa's project has been working for over five years to help senior talent, in collaboration with the Máshumano Foundation. This initiative boosts the employment opportunities of professionals over 50, helping them explore new job opportunities and adapt their skills to a job market through guidance and training. "Skills related to artificial intelligence are increasingly in demand by companies when hiring professionals," says Elsa Novo de Miguel, head of Training for Employment projects at the Endesa Foundation. Therefore, "we consider that it is of essence to train senior professionals in this area to help them adapt to the labour market's latest needs".
Jesús García Fernández, a senior professional of the Generación SAVIA programme, decided to become a Digital Marketing consultant after understanding that the digitalisation of any business is a must. Jesús states that "the implementation of generative artificial intelligence has increased my performance and productivity by 500%" and also explains that the belief that AI can replace human beings and reduce employment opportunities is not necessarily true. In this sense, he emphasises "the importance of judgement in the use of this technology, life and professional experience, as well as critical thinking, which are key to assessing the validity of information" and advocates making a responsible and ethical use of it, highlighting that the decision of how to use it is up to each individual.
Moreover, Raúl Mata Jiménez, collaborator of Generación SAVIA and co-founder of the company Boost Sales 4U, which trains entrepreneurs, indicates that "AI will save valuable time and effort for senior entrepreneurs". For example, tasks such as adapting resumes to different job offers can be automated thanks to this technology. In addition to facilitating the search process, it can enhance the skills of senior professionals over 50 and create jobs.
Raúl also highlights the key role of senior professionals in the correct use of artificial intelligence: "AI needs knowledge to identify what is real or truly useful for re-training during the data gathering stages". The expertise of senior professionals is still required to help accelerate AI with their knowledge".
AI doesn't just improve productivity. In addition, AI not only has endless applications, but it also offers tools that can help over 50s find new jobs and enhance the skills of senior professionals, providing valuable information to anticipate and gather information, offering a significant competitive advantage. But it is also relevant to warn against excessive dependence on these types of tools, because we must always use them as a complement and not as a total substitute for human work.
About Generación SAVIA
Generación SAVIA, the ENDESA Foundation project in collaboration with the Máshumano Foundation, has been promoting the employability of workers over 50 for five years, providing solutions through training and networking activities and promoting recognition of the value of these professionals, who suffer high rates of unemployment. SAVIA is a platform and community in which collaborative spaces are created and initiatives provided to create job opportunities for senior professionals. In addition, it offers human resources solutions to the Spanish social and business fabric. 45,000 senior professionals and 708 companies are registered with SAVIA and there are 190 entities providing resources and tools in collaboration with the project.