Jobs safest and most at risk of AI takeover as Australia begins major transition: 'Opportunity'

Yahoo

2 days ago

Aussies who are worried about artificial intelligence (AI) taking over their job may want to consider picking up a trade or a job in nursing and steer clear of administrative and clerical jobs, new research has found. AI will have an impact on almost all occupations in Australia; however, for most people, it will change rather than replace their jobs.
A 'landmark' new study by Jobs and Skills Australia has found generative AI has the capacity to augment a wide variety of tasks and most occupations. Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia, Professor Barney Glover, said it presents both opportunities and challenges.
'There is a tremendous opportunity for Australia and our workforce to boost our productivity and create new ways of working,' he said.
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'As a nation, we need to be conscious that generative artificial intelligence has the potential to augment the work we do, as well as to automate some tasks.
'This has the potential to displace people in some jobs, particularly administrative and clerical roles.'
Glover said the impact of AI would differ across geographical location, industry and occupation, and would change over time as emerging technologies further change the way we work.
'Adaptability will be critical for Australia to realise the potential benefits from AI, which will see new jobs emerge and existing jobs change,' he said.
A poll of more than 2,600 Yahoo Finance readers found 41 per cent of readers were worried their job would soon be overtaken by AI, with 7 per cent saying it already had been.
The report comes at a "critical early point" in our transition towards generative AI.Which jobs are most at risk from AI?
Office clerks, receptionists, bookkeepers, sales, marketing and public relations professionals, and business and systems analysts and programmers would lose the most employment by 2050, the report found.
In comparison, cleaners and laundry workers, midwives and nurses, business administration managers, construction and mining labourers, and hospitality workers would gain the most.
'Many clerical tasks – that were not affected by previous waves of automation – could now be undertaken in large part by Gen AI,' the report said.
'Higher skill levels reveal greater exposure to medium automation potential, suggesting highly skilled occupations could discover new efficiencies based on the current technology.'
Around one in five occupations had a 'medium to high likelihood' of automation by AI. But nearly half of workers were in jobs with low automation and medium augmentation, which the report said means they were likely to experience 'change rather than disruption'.
More businesses adopt AI
Gen AI adoption is still at an early stage in Australia, but it has increased significantly in the last two years.
In 2024, the vast majority of ASX200 mentioned investing in technology, with more than half mentioning AI-related investments.
Some companies are focused on improving interactions with customers through things like chatbots, while others are streamlining internal processes or enhancing their existing offers.
Commonwealth Bank recently announced it was axing dozens of roles in its customer call centres, citing artificial intelligence. The major bank introduced a new chatbot system to answer simple customer inquiries in June.
Telstra has said its workforce will be smaller in 2030 as it finds new ways to leverage technology, including AI. It recently cut more than 550 roles across its business but said it was 'not a result' of its adoption of AI.
Tech giant Atlassian cut 150 customer service and support roles last month, noting some tasks would now be completed by AI.
Fast food chains Hungry Jack's has also been trialling the use of AI drive-thru assistants, with KFC also trialling the tech last year but stressing it wasn't replacing any jobs.