EY: 69% say three-quarters of telecom staff will need new skills or replacement within five years

A majority of telecom leaders expect major workforce changes as artificial intelligence takes on a larger role in the industry. In EY-Parthenon’s Telco of Tomorrow study, 69% of respondents said three-quarters of today’s employees will need retraining or replacement within five years.

The study does not distinguish between retraining current employees and replacing skills, so it does not show how many jobs leaders expect to disappear. It is based on interviews with more than 90 telecom leaders, including 12 in the Nordics.

Leaders are looking to use AI to improve efficiency while managing costs and seeking returns on network investments. Globally, 92% identified customer service and troubleshooting as areas with high potential for AI-driven efficiency gains, while 67% pointed to network optimization. EY adviser Charlotta Kvarnström also cited self-service, chatbots, network planning, software development, finance and business sales as areas where operators could apply AI.

EY says Nordic leaders see skills, organizational change and new ways of working as important to making investments effective. The report also points to cybersecurity and sovereign cloud services as potential growth areas beyond traditional connectivity. Tele2’s collaboration with Scaleway on European sovereign cloud and AI services in Sweden is one example. Still, only 31% of leaders expect telecom to be among the most attractive industries to work in five years from now.