Key takeaway:
Three years after the launch of ChatGPT, assessment data shows that emotional intelligence, stability, and human connection are the new competitive advantages. While the future of work may be powered by AI, it is still held together by people.
Comparing assessed traits from Q3 2022 to Q3 2025
When ChatGPT launched in late 2022, few could have predicted how quickly gen-AI would transform the workplace. In just three years, automation has reshaped how people work, how teams are built, and as data shows, how people are hired.
Our latest Hiring Intelligence Report takes a direct look at this shift, comparing personality assessment data from Q3 2022 (the moment generative AI broke into the mainstream) with the latest results from Q3 2025.
The goal: to understand whether the traits employers assess and value most have changed since AI began to take over more technical and routine parts of work.
Three years after ChatGPT: A shift towards calm and structure
Across thousands of assessments taken on our online assessment platform, certain traits have surged in importance since 2022, while others have quietly faded.
What’s rising:
- Stress Management (up from rank 9 to 2)
- Calm (up from rank 12 to 5)
- Order (up from rank 13 to 7)
- Gregarious (up from rank 17 to 10)
- Listening (up from rank 4 to 3)
What’s declining:
- Adaptable (down from rank 3 to 13)
- Decisive (down from rank 7 to 12)
- Influential (down from rank 1 to 7 in managerial roles)
This movement could indicate that the rise of AI has prompted a rebalancing in what personality traits organisations are seeking. As automation has taken over tasks that demand speed, flexibility, and data processing, employers are turning their attention to what machines can’t do, staying calm under pressure, building trust, and creating structure amid complexity.
AI handles the work but humans handle the weight
Since 2022, AI has taken on many of the heavy-lifting tasks that once demanded human time and attention, from summarising data to drafting reports and managing workflows.
Traits like Stress Management and Calm rising so sharply suggests that emotional regulation is now seen as a core performance skill. Employers appear to be prioritising people who can remain composed while navigating rapid change, conflicting demands, and information overload.
It also highlights a subtle but important trend: the shift from output to emotional impact. With automation doing the busywork, the value of human employees now lies in their ability to steady teams, support others, and maintain clarity in uncertain conditions.
Leadership: From authority to empathy
The change is especially clear in managerial roles.
In 2022, the most assessed traits for managers were Influential, Decisive, and Striving.
By 2025, those have been replaced by Listening, Stress Management, and Assertive.
This may potentially indicate that organisations have recognised effective leadership in the AI era is less about command and control, and more about emotional intelligence. When teams are dispersed, tools are digital, and pace is constant, the best leaders aren’t the loudest, they’re the most grounded.
Listening has jumped from 12th place to number one, showing that employers now see communication and empathy as the foundation of trust and performance.
The return of order
One of the most striking shifts in the data is the rise of Order and the fall of Adaptable. After years of celebrating disruption and change, organisations appear to be looking for people who can bring structure and predictability.
This could show that a sort of “complexity fatigue” has set in. Hybrid work, new technology, and rapid transformation have created constant motion, and many businesses now crave stability. Hiring people who value clear processes and defined boundaries may be a direct response to this exhaustion.
Order has become a way to make complexity more sustainable. It doesn’t mean rigidity; it means control, consistency, and the ability to bring clarity when everything else feels in flux.
What this means for recruiters
For recruiters and HR professionals, these findings highlight a profound change in the hiring mindset.
Three years ago, adaptability, agility, and decisiveness were the hallmarks of potential.
Today, the focus is on emotional balance, structure, and connection. This may indicate that psychometric tests, which measure traits like Calm, Stress Management, and Listening, are becoming more relevant than ever, helping recruiters identify the human skills that AI can’t replicate.
It also reinforces the need for recruiters to read between the lines of experience. The best candidates may not always be the most energetic or outspoken, they may be the ones who bring steadiness, composure, and quiet strength to a team.
