Jobs most at risk from AI highlighted in new Government report

Women, those in urban areas and those in administrative jobs are most at risk of artificial intelligence negatively impacting their employment. Sports players, fire service officers and chefs, however, can rest assured that their jobs are more safe.

The information was shared as the government published a series of reports called “Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe”. Finance Minister Michael McGrath explained that 63% of employment in Ireland is exposed to AI.

Some 33% of employment is exposed to AI in a “complimentary way”, while 30% is exposed in a “substitutable way where there is a higher potential that AI could significantly replace at least some of the tasks within a worker’s occupation”.

He continued: “From a gender perspective, women are relatively more exposed to AI than men, with 76% of women working in high exposure roles compared to a 51% for men. This stems from the fact that more women are employed in relatively high-exposure administrative, customer service or healthcare occupations.

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“The analysis also indicates that people working in urban regions are relatively more exposed to AI compared to those in rural regions. There is a positive correlation between AI exposure and earnings, suggesting that higher earners could benefit most from increased AI adoption.”

Enterprise Minister Peter Burke, meanwhile, highlighted that roles within the financial, insurance and information and communication sectors are those “most exposed to AI”. He also warned that “AI is here to stay”.

The reports laid out a “very preliminary first look” at how AI will work to complement or substitute jobs. Jobs where there was “high exposure and weak complementarity” included telephone salespersons, chartered and certified accountants, laboratory technicians, IT operations technicians and communication operators and telephonists.

High exposure and strong complementarity included medical practitioners, barristers and judges, librarians and psychologists. Jobs that had low AI exposure included sports played, fire service officers, chefs, plasterers, waiters and waitresses, launderers, dry cleaners and pressers and sewing machinists.

Asked if the Government would step in to support lower-paid earners whose jobs may be at risk from AI, Minister McGrath told the Irish Mirror that it is possible there will be “structural changes in the labour market” because of AI but that it could lead to fewer people on lower salaries.

“This issue is very relevant because the adoption of AI could change the nature of the roles and change the nature of the labour market. It could mean then that you have more people earning more money in terms of their salaries and what impact does that have on your labour market and perhaps fewer people at the lower end? Those are issues that we do need to consider in the context of our income tax policy, our tax structure, making sure we have a sustainable taxation base into the future.”

Elsewhere, a new report from ManpowerGroup Ireland has found that 51% of employers report headcounts are likely to increase, rather than decrease, as a result of AI adoption over the next two years.

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