INTEGRATION OF GENERATIVE AI SKILLS IN JOB REQUIREMENTS: EVIDENCE FROM JOB ADVERTISEMENTS IN GEORGIA

The rapid diffusion of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools has created a demand for new skills in labour markets. However, research into how employers articulate GenAI competencies in job advertisements has focused almost exclusively on large, technologically advanced economies. This study examines how employers in Georgia, a small upper-middle-income transitional economy, indicate GenAI skill requirements in job advertisements, considering four dimensions: skill visibility, linguistic framing, organisational readiness and skill depth. Deductive content analysis was applied to 94 job advertisements collected in January 2026 from three major Georgian labour market platforms (LinkedIn, Jobs.ge and HR.ge). Each advertisement was coded using a structured 20-indicator codebook derived from established theoretical frameworks. The results show that employers articulate GenAI skills in two ways: by explicitly naming the tool, which is present in 38.3 per cent of advertisements, and by using implicit task language, which is present in 61.7 per cent of advertisements and constitutes the dominant form of signalling. Regardless of occupation or skill depth, employers frame GenAI requirements as mandatory in 81.9 per cent of advertisements, indicating the rapid institutionalisation of GenAI literacy as a baseline labour market expectation. Signals of organisational readiness remain weak: only 21.3 per cent of job advertisements acknowledge any organisational role in enabling AI adoption, while the remaining 78.7 per cent present GenAI competence purely as a prerequisite for candidates. Skill complexity is almost evenly divided between basic and advanced requirements, and occupation strongly predicts this division, creating a clear distinction between a technically advanced group and a large group adopting AI on a more general operational level. Signals of organisational readiness remain weak: only 21.3 per cent of job advertisements acknowledge any organisational role in enabling AI adoption, while the remaining 78.7 per cent present GenAI competence purely as a prerequisite for candidates. Skill complexity is almost evenly divided between basic and advanced requirements, and occupation strongly predicts this division, creating a clear distinction between a technically advanced group and a large group adopting AI on a more general operational level.