More than 85% of large companies with over 1000 employees using AI believe there is a shortage of qualified AI talent

Office Chatani Inc. Reveals the reality of "securing AI talent" among major corporations.

TOKYO, JAPAN, May 27, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Office Chatani Inc. (CEO: Masayuki Chatani) conducted a survey on "securing AI talent" targeting executives at large companies with over 1000 employees that are actively promoting AI adoption. This survey reveals the reality of securing skilled AI professionals at major corporations.

Background
In the past few years, the evolution of AI technology has accelerated the use of AI in corporate management and operations. Especially in large companies, AI is being implemented to drive digital transformation (DX), improve business efficiency, and create new value. Making it a crucial element of their business management strategies. As a result, the need for "AI talent" with specialized knowledge and skills has grown within companies. On the other hand, as AI adoption progresses, many companies are facing the challenge of the "difficulty in securing AI talent". The roles of AI professionals are diverse, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology categorized AI talent into three types: "people who solve AI related issues," "people who bring AI to life," and "people who utilize AI". Since skills and roles vary from company to company, there may be cases where companies are not taking the most optimal approach in securing the right talent. So how are large companies securing AI talent, and what challenges are they facing? To answer these questions, Office Chatani Inc. conducted a survey on the realities of "securing AI talent" targeting executives at large companies that are actively promoting AI adoption.

Survey Summary
- More than 85% of large companies with 1000+ employees promoting the use of AI are experiencing a shortage in qualified AI talent
- To secure AI talent, many companies are taking a balanced approach of recruitment and training
- Companies feel the greatest shortage in "talent to implement and operate AI systems"
- The top three challenges in hiring AI talent are "difficulty in identifying talent with necessary skills", "limited number of suitable talents", and "high salary expectations that make it difficult to recruit"
- The main challenges in developing AI talent in-house are the "lack of resources" and "lack of expertise"
- 40% of companies that have sufficient AI talent, place a strong emphasis on "in-house training"
- Companies with sufficient AI talent consider the "development of in-house training" and "continuous support for skill development" as key to securing AI talent.

Survey Overview
Survey Period: February 20th to March 4th, 2025
Survey Method: Online Survey
Target: Executives at large companies with 1000+ employees that are actively promoting AI adoption (Men and women over the age of 20)
Number of Respondents: 105
Panel Provider: RC Research Data

More than 85% of large companies with over 1000 employees engaged in the use of AI believe there is a shortage of qualified AI talent. In response to the question "Is there a shortage of AI talent at your company? (Pic1) " The top answers were "significantly lacking" and "somewhat lacking" each at 42.9% followed by "almost sufficient" at 8.5% in third place. Together, the top two responses add up to over 85%, indicating that the majority of the companies are experiencing a shortage of AI talent.

Many companies are taking a balanced approach of recruitment and training to secure AI talent. Among those who answered there is a shortage of AI talent (including those who answered "slightly lacking"), we asked whether they prioritize "recruitment" or "in-house training" to secure AI talent. (Pic2) The top response was "balanced approach of recruitment and training" at 36.7%, followed by "prioritizing recruitment" at 35.5% and "prioritizing in-house training" at 22.2%. These results reveal how most companies are taking a balanced approach of recruitment and training.

Companies feel the greatest shortage in "talent to implement and operate AI systems". Among those who answered there is a shortage of AI talent (including those who answered "slightly lacking"), we asked "what type of AI talent do you currently feel is most lacking". (Pic3) The top response was "talent to implement and operate AI systems" at 40.0%, followed by "talent to plan and promote AI driven business strategies” at 38.9% and "talent to conduct AI research and develop" at 21.1%. These results reveal how companies feel the greatest shortage in "talent to implement and operate AI systems"

The top three challenges in hiring AI talent are "difficulty in identifying talent with necessary skills", "limited number of suitable talents", and "high salary expectations that make it difficult to recruit". Among those who answered there is a shortage of AI talent (including those who answered "slightly lacking"), we asked "what is the biggest challenge in hiring AI talent". (Pic4) The top response was "difficulty in identifying talent with necessary skills" at 34.4%, followed by "limited number of suitable talents" and "high salary expectations that make it difficult to recruit" both at 23.3%. These results reveal that companies not only struggle to identify talent with necessary skills, but there is a limited number of suitable talents and even if they find suitable talents, the high salary expectations make recruitment even more challenging.

The main challenges in developing AI talent in-house are the "lack of resources" and "lack of expertise". Among those who answered there is a shortage of AI talent (including those who answered "slightly lacking"), we asked "What are the challenges in developing AI talent in-house". (Pic5) The top response was "lack of resources for in-house training" at 53.3%, followed by "lack of expertise for in-house training" at 52.2%. These results reveal how many companies lack both resources and expertise to effectively develop AI talent internally.

40% of companies that have sufficient AI talent, place a strong emphasis on "in-house training" Among those who answered there is a shortage of AI talent (including those who answered "slightly lacking"), we asked whether they prioritize "recruitment" or "in-house training" when securing AI talent. (Pic6) The top response was "balanced approach of recruitment and training" at 53.3%, followed by "emphasizing in-house training" at 40.0%. These results reveal that while many companies take a balanced approach of recruitment and in-house training, a significant portion, 40.0% prioritize in-house training.

Companies with sufficient AI talent consider the "development of in-house training" and "continuous support for skill development" as key to securing AI talent. At the end of the survey, among those who answered they have sufficient AI talent (including those who answered "almost sufficient"), we asked "What they consider important for securing AI talent". (Pic7) The top response was "development of in-house training" at 66.7%, followed by "continuous support for skill development" at 53.3% and "optimizing compensation and evaluation systems" at 46.7%. These results reveal that many companies with sufficient AI talent consider the "development of in-house training" and "continuous support for skill development" as key to securing AI talent.

Summary
This survey revealed that more than 85% of large companies with over 1000 employees engaged in the use of AI believe there is a shortage of qualified AI talent. Many of these companies are taking a balanced approach of recruitment and training to secure AI talent. Among companies that are facing a shortage of qualified AI talent, they feel the greatest shortage in "talent to implement and operate AI systems". The top three challenges in hiring AI talent are "difficulty in identifying talent with necessary skills", "limited number of suitable talents", and "high salary expectations that make it difficult to recruit". When it comes to developing AI talent in-house, the primary challenges are the "lack of resources" and "lack of expertise". On the other hand, 40% of companies that have sufficient AI talent, place a strong emphasis on "in-house training” to secure AI talent. These companies believe the "development of in-house training" and "continuous support for skill development" as key to securing AI talent.

In the “Business Management Support Service” offered by Office Chatani Inc., CEO Masayuki Chatani utilizes his extensive knowledge and experience in digital business, AI product development, and platform building to provide the latest trends and insight on generative AI as an external expert and consultant. Additionally, offering consulting services for the use of generative AI in business operations and in-house AI talent development.

Survey Conducting Company
【Office Chatani, Inc.】
Address: Tokyo, Japan
CEO: Masayuki Chatani
Business Scope: Creative management support, lectures, writing, and more
URL: https://www.office-chatani.com

At Office Chatani, Inc., we support "creative" management.

The company is led by CEO Masayuki Chatani, the author of “The Age of Creators” and “Behind the Scenes at PlayStation: Former CTO Talks about 16 Years of Creation”, who previously served as CTO and EVP of a global video game platform business, Executive Officer at an internet conglomerate, digital group company CEO within a professional services firm, and Japan head of the digital team at a global strategy consulting firm.

Masayuki Chatani
Office Chatani, Inc.
contact01@office-chatani.com