Over 30pc of Irish employment is in occupations that could be at risk of substitution by AI

Some 63pc of the Irish labour marker is exposed to artificial intelligence with 33pc of employment in occupations where AI is likely to complement labour and boost productivity.

The remaining 30pc are in work where the technologies could substitute for at least some of the tasks.

The launch of three government reports today surveyed the impact of AI on the Irish economy and labour market, finding that women were more exposed than men.

People working in the financial and insurance and the information and communication sectors are most exposed, while those in agriculture, forestry and fishing are the least exposed.

Dublin has the highest share of people working in relatively highly exposed roles, with urban workers more exposed to AI than those in rural areas.

Higher earners were also positioned to benefit most from increased AI adoption.

Speaking at the launch of the reports today, Mr McGrath said such technological advancements can transform society but can also “can create winners and losers in the labour market”.

Mr McGrath emphasised that the report analysed the impact of AI in a specific point in time and does not consider the impact of robotics or generative AI.

He added that a highly exposed occupation “does not mean that it will be replaced,” just that it has a comparatively higher exposure than other sectors.

“Within this set of highly-exposed occupations, 33pc of employment is exposed in a complementary way. In other words, where AI is most likely to boost productivity,” he said.

“Meanwhile, 30pc of employment 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.

“From a gender perspective, women are relatively more exposed to AI than men with 76pc of women working in high exposure roles compared to 51pc of men.”

The research has found that women are relatively more exposed to artificial intelligence than men due to the high levels of women employed in administrative or customer roles.

Men are more likely to be employed in agricultural or construction-related roles which are less exposed to AI.

Administrative and secretarial occupations and sales and customer service Occupations are considered to be most ‘at risk’ from AI, relative to other occupations, the reports find.

“These workers may need to be targeted for re-skilling and up-skilling interventions to ensure smooth transitions to more viable occupations,” it said.