Barclays, AI and the skills that still matter
As technology changes work, judgement, practical expertise and opportunities to learn deserve more attention.
A question beyond banking
On 22 October 2026, Reuters reported that Barclays planned around 5,000 job reductions that year as technology, including AI, supported its wider cost-reduction programme. It would be too simple to describe every reduction as a job replaced by AI. The announcement nevertheless prompted my LinkedIn post about what young people should be learning.
Behind a workforce announcement are people and livelihoods. For somebody choosing their next step, it also raises a practical question: what will their education and experience equip them to do?
Build expertise and learn to question the tools
University, apprenticeships and employment can all develop valuable skills. My post emphasised judgement, relationships, hands-on ability and taking responsibility for decisions. Learning to use AI should sit alongside that expertise, including the ability to recognise when an answer is unreliable.
What that means in commercial property
A useful application might be preparing a first-pass summary of a property pack or organising questions for a viewing. That leaves a property professional with a clear task: check the summary against the documents, investigate gaps and decide what needs specialist advice.
A polished summary cannot show how a delivery vehicle actually moves through a yard. A site visit may reveal awkward access, competing uses or a building that feels different from its particulars. Owners and occupiers also bring priorities that need to be understood through conversation. Technology can support that work; responsibility for the assessment remains with the people making it.
Keep a route into the profession
Employers should consider how newcomers will learn if routine tasks are automated. Reviewing a draft with an experienced colleague, joining inspections and discussing why a proposal was rejected can provide useful learning opportunities. Make that development deliberate rather than assuming it will happen.
The goal is a team that can use better tools while continuing to build practical knowledge and sound judgement.