PARIS. Business leaders at VivaTech said the spread of artificial intelligence is changing hiring patterns and raising the value of human judgment, adaptability and communication alongside technical skill.
During a panel discussion in Paris, LinkedIn's Sue Duke said hiring remains below recent peaks in both Europe and the United States. She cited internal LinkedIn data showing European hiring is 25% below its pandemic-era high and 15% lower than a year earlier. In the U.S., she said hiring was still 24% below pre-pandemic levels and down 6% year over year as of March.
Even with fewer openings, Duke said employers are looking for candidates who can combine AI fluency with strengths that are harder to automate. That means workers need to understand when to use AI tools, how to judge the quality of their output and how to fit those tools into existing work processes.
"We see the most resilience in hiring in roles that combine AI efficiency and unique human skills," Duke said.
Duke argued that as workplaces change, static skill sets are becoming less useful. She said curiosity and adaptability are becoming especially important because many jobs will look different in just a few years. LinkedIn has estimated that 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change by 2030, with AI acting as a major driver of that shift.
The panel also highlighted software engineering as a field where AI is already changing expectations. In the past, employers often focused heavily on coding ability. Now, generative AI tools such as Codex and Claude Code can produce high-quality code, which is pushing companies to look for engineers who can do more than write software.
Ruth Harper, senior vice president and chief marketing and sustainability officer at Manpower Group, said employers increasingly want people who can work with AI and help others adapt to it. She said that includes cross-functional collaboration, change management and the ability to help colleagues feel comfortable using AI systems in daily work.
"How do you drop AI into the workflow? How do you help your organization get comfortable with agents working next to your humans, for your humans? How are they part of the team? That is not a technology job," Harper said.
At the same time, Harper said hard skills still matter. Technical ability remains a requirement, but it is no longer enough on its own to stand out.
"The combination of skills is what can be absolutely critical," she said. "The technical skills are a given, but if you only have technical skills, somebody else is going to get to the top of the list first."
The discussion reflected a broader trend in hiring, where AI is not just automating tasks but also changing what employers value in candidates. As more routine work becomes machine-assisted, business leaders say the most competitive workers will be those who can pair technical knowledge with judgment, communication and the ability to keep learning as the workplace evolves.