At a time when much of the conversation around artificial intelligence (AI) centres on potential job losses, one sector stands poised to harness this technology for good: careers advice.
Far from making advisers obsolete, AI could help them provide more personalised, timely, and cost-effective support, ensuring more young people and unemployed adults find fulfilling futures.
The UK’s careers advice landscape has been under considerable strain. Investment has plummeted, with spending on school pupils’ career development falling from £159 per pupil in 2009 to just £68 today, according to the Gatsby Foundation. For adults, the drop is nearly one third, from £35 to £26. Yet quality guidance remains a crucial factor in achieving long-term employment success. Evidence from the Investing in Careers report shows that for every £1 spent on careers support, there’s an average return of £2.50 in schools and £3.20 for unemployed adults.
This glaring resource gap points to the need for innovation. Enter AI: a powerful tool that could streamline everything from exploring career pathways to polishing CVs and honing interview techniques. By leveraging advanced machine learning, advisers can rapidly identify transferable skills, highlight growth industries, and adapt to shifting job markets. Indeed, LinkedIn predicts that by 2030, the skills required for jobs worldwide will have changed by at least 65%, making it ever more urgent that the UK’s careers services modernise to remain competitive.
Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE, author of the new report Careers 2035, sees a transformative role for AI in the sector. “Access to equitable AI-enhanced resources can help ensure that all individuals can benefit,” she says. “The future of career guidance must not only embrace innovation but champion the breaking down of barriers, ensuring that no one is left behind.”
Embracing AI isn’t about removing the human element, but rather enhancing it. Careers advisers play an essential role: personal contact and empathy are irreplaceable, as is the nuanced understanding they bring to each individual’s circumstances. However, by harnessing AI tools, advisers can make more efficient use of their limited time, potentially supporting a greater number of people and tailoring guidance more precisely to individual needs.
Chris Glennie, chief executive of Morrisby, one of the UK’s most respected career guidance platforms, is adamant that advisers remain central to the process. He acknowledges the challenges they face: recent studies indicate that 21% of advisers plan to leave the profession within two years, and average pay for careers staff stands at about £28,000, often lower than entry-level teachers or jobcentre coaches, despite requiring equivalent levels of expertise and qualifications.
“While career development professionals feel proud of their work, they don’t always feel it is valued,” Glennie notes. Yet he sees AI as offering fresh opportunities for meaningful involvement. Advisers could shape the way these technologies develop—by advising on best practices, auditing AI-generated content, and collaborating with software developers to refine their accuracy and relevance. AI can become a trusted ally, rather than a disruptive influence.
For schools, the introduction of AI could bring about a quiet revolution. Many secondary schools and colleges are obliged to offer careers guidance from Year 7 to Year 13, but recent data from the Careers & Enterprise Company shows that 11% of students still miss out on a one-to-one chat with a qualified adviser by the end of Year 11. AI-driven tools could help fill such gaps. They could provide initial insights—helping students pinpoint interests, strengths, and potential career paths—before handing over to a human adviser for deeper conversation. By handling initial fact-finding and routine queries, these systems free up staff to focus on more in-depth, personalised support.
Tom Ravenscroft, founder of the Skills Builder Partnership (a group that supports educational institutions in preparing young people for future workplace demands), points out that AI can also aid careers professionals to stay abreast of rapidly changing job landscapes. “Given how quickly career routes and technical courses are evolving, ensuring advisers and young people have flexible, up-to-date information is vital,” he says. AI systems that continuously update guidance based on emerging trends, newly created job roles, or shifts in industry demand can give advisers and their clients an edge.
Adopting AI-backed careers advice isn’t a silver bullet, of course. Funding challenges must still be addressed, and the government needs to recognise the immense social and economic value of skilled advisers. But AI could be the catalyst that lifts career guidance out of its current funding shortfall and into a more dynamic, accessible space. By doing so, it might not only secure the UK’s position in a fiercely competitive global marketplace, but also ensure countless individuals find more rewarding, sustainable career paths.
What’s clear is that with the right approach—and a willingness to blend human expertise with technological innovation—the UK’s careers advice sector could be on the cusp of a new era, one in which everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, can look to the future with greater hope and clarity.
