AI Skills Top Priority In Israel’s High-Tech Sector Amid Conflict ‌

An understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) is now the most sought-after attribute in Israel’s high-tech workspace.

That’s according to a Skills Index Survey of 150 managers, commissioned by Afeka Academic College of Engineering in Tel Aviv, and Hebrew-language business newspaper TheMarker.

The managers were asked to score a range of the most desirable skills for themselves and their employees – and the ability to work with AI programs came out on top.

The same survey carried out last year ranked creative thinking in the number one position, ahead of previous experience or a relevant academic degree.

More than half (55%) the high-tech managers questioned this year said familiarizing themselves with AI was their top priority, compared with 35% last year. 

Critical thinking and the ability to solve complex problems — both qualities associated with the use of AI — came in second and third place, respectively.

The increasing emphasis on AI comes as the war in Gaza drags on and many workers are away from the office serving in the IDF reserves.

Mental resilience also appears high on the list of managers’ priorities. Last year it wasn’t even mentioned.

Here’s the full list of 13 qualities managers were asked to rank: Mental fortitude; experience working with AI programs; leadership; emotional intelligence; critical thinking; written and verbal communication skills; proactivity motivation; creative thinking; ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment; ability to work independently; learning independently; and problem-solving. 

Afeka holds an annual Skills&Tech conference, addressing Israel’s need to cultivate a highly skilled workforce to maintain its status as a global technology leader.

This year, Google Israel CEO Barak Regev praised the country for its resilience since the October 7 Hamas attacks, and for meeting its goals despite the many challenges of the ensuing war.

“A crisis is a threat, but it’s also an opportunity,” he told delegates at the event, held at EAST-TLV, in Tel Aviv, on July 15.

“High-tech has been the engine of this economy for the past decade. It’s responsible for 53% of our exports, but only 10% of our workforce is part of this industry,” Regev said. 

“Think about the possibilities if we increase that to 15%. We veered into that direction a few years ago, but at the end of 2021 we reached a glass ceiling in the market. There were 40,000 to 70,000 unfilled jobs in the industry.”

Prof. Ami Moyal, president of Afeka College, said: “The need for basic skills such as critical and creative thinking remains a priority and even has gone up in terms of importance since last year. That is because those are the very skills needed to fully leverage AI tools.

“With these soft skills, you’re seeing a repeat demand for employees who are able to think critically, learn independently, and value teamwork. The need for skilled engineers who can innovate and develop cutting-edge technologies with transformative impact has never been greater.”

Produced in association with ISRAEL21c