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Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
GenAI to reshape one in four jobs globally, new ILO report reveals
A groundbreaking new study from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Poland's National Research Institute (NASK) has revealed that one in four jobs globally is potentially exposed to the transformative forces of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). But in a reassuring twist for workers, the report underscores that transformation—not wholesale replacement is the more likely outcome. Launched on May 20, the study, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure, provided what the authors call the most nuanced global snapshot to date of how GenAI may reshape the world of work. The index, which blends expert review, AI-assisted scoring, and a database of nearly 30,000 occupational tasks, represents a new gold standard in assessing job exposure to AI. 'We went beyond theory to build a tool grounded in real-world jobs,' explained Pawel Gmyrek, ILO Senior Researcher and lead author of the study. 'By combining human insight, expert review, and generative AI models, we've created a replicable method that helps countries assess risk and respond with precision.' The research showed that 25 percent of jobs worldwide are in occupations potentially exposed to GenAI, with that share climbing to 34 percent in high-income countries. Perhaps most striking is the gender divide: in high-income nations, nearly 10 percent of women's employment lies in jobs at high risk of automation, compared to just 3.5 percent for men. This stark contrast, the study argues, demands urgent policy attention. Clerical occupations, such as administrative assistants and data entry roles, emerged as the most vulnerable. These jobs, often composed of repetitive cognitive tasks, are particularly susceptible to automation by GenAI technologies. Yet the report also highlighted rising exposure in highly digitized professions such as media, software development, and finance. The expanding reach of GenAI is now brushing up against sectors once considered safe due to their cognitive demands. Even so, the report is careful to differentiate between potential and reality. Full automation of jobs remains limited. 'Many tasks, though done more efficiently, continue to require human involvement,' the study notes. It draws attention to contrasting outcomes: while software developers may adapt and evolve with digital innovation, workers with limited digital skills may struggle to keep up. 'The index helps identify where GenAI is likely to have the biggest impact, so countries can better prepare and protect workers,' said Marek Troszynski, Senior Expert at NASK and co-author of the report. He emphasized that the tool will next be applied to labour force data from Poland, with the aim of refining national policy responses. The ILO–NASK study stresses that differences in technological infrastructure, national policies, and workforce skills will determine how GenAI's effects play out on the ground. The figures, the authors caution, reflect potential exposure—not actual job losses. Much depends on how countries act. 'This tool helps countries across the world assess potential exposure and prepare their labour markets for a fairer digital future,' said Janine Berg, Senior Economist at the ILO. 'It's easy to get lost in the AI hype. What we need is clarity and context.' Ultimately, the study is a call to action. It urges governments, employers, and workers' organisations to engage in inclusive dialogue and adopt strategies that ensure the digital transition enhances, rather than erodes, job quality. According ILO newsletter, this landmark publication is the first in a series of ILO–NASK reports on GenAI and the future of work. Forthcoming editions will delve into country-specific labour impacts and offer technical guidance for crafting equitable AI-era policies—especially in developing and emerging economies where the stakes are highest. Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Express Tribune
21-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
AI threatens women's jobs three times more than men's, as per United Nations report
Listen to article Women are nearly three times more likely than men to have their jobs automated by artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new report from the United Nations' International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Poland's National Research Institute (NASK). The report, released May 20, highlights the disproportionate impact AI-driven automation is expected to have on women's roles in the workplace, especially in higher-income countries. It found that about 9.6% of women's jobs in these countries face a high risk of AI automation, compared to just 3.5% of men's jobs. Globally, around 25% of jobs are potentially exposed to generative AI technologies, rising to 34% in wealthier nations. Clerical and administrative positions, where women make up the vast majority, are particularly vulnerable. In the United States, between 93% and 97% of secretarial and administrative assistant roles were held by women from 2000 to 2019, according to US Census Bureau data. These roles rank among the most common jobs for women, making AI's impact on these positions a significant concern. The report does not include caretaker roles such as health aides, which typically involve emotional labour and are considered less susceptible to AI automation. Experts emphasise that the report does not claim AI will completely eliminate clerical or entry-level jobs but identifies roles where AI can take on certain tasks, signalling where workers and employers should prepare for change. 'This index helps identify where generative AI is likely to have the biggest impact, so countries can better prepare and protect workers,' said Marek Troszyński, senior expert at NASK. Rembrand Koning, associate professor at Harvard Business School, advocates for viewing AI as a tool for augmentation rather than solely a threat. 'AI can automate routine tasks, enabling workers to focus on higher-paying or more complex activities,' he revealed in the report. However, Koning's research reveals a gender gap in AI adoption. Women use AI tools at a rate approximately 25% lower than men, partly due to concerns about the ethics of AI and fears of being perceived as cheating or less competent by colleagues. 'Men tend to be more confident, even overconfident, about the benefits of using AI,' Koning said. He emphasises that workplace leaders must foster inclusive environments where all employees feel comfortable adopting AI technologies. 'It's the job of a leader to bring everybody in,' Koning said. As AI continues reshaping the workforce, ensuring equitable access and support for women will be crucial to safeguarding their careers amid this technological transition.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
AI in the workplace is nearly 3 times more likely to take a woman's job as a man's, UN report finds
As AI transforms workplaces, the technology has an outsized impact on women's jobs, according to new data from the United Nations' International Labour Organization and Poland's National Research Institute. To help future-proof their careers, women can use AI to augment their jobs, but are less likely to engage with the technology than their male counterparts, according to Harvard Business School professor Rembrand Koning. As workers grapple with anxiety around artificial intelligence replacing them, women in the workplace may have extra reason to fear. Jobs traditionally held by women are much more exposed to AI than those traditionally held by men, according to new data from the United Nations' International Labour Organization (ILO) and Poland's National Research Institute (NASK). In higher income countries, jobs with the highest risk of AI automation make up about 9.6% of women's jobs, compared to 3.5% of jobs among men, the report released Tuesday found. More broadly, 25% of global jobs are potentially exposed to generative AI, a percentage that increases to 34% among higher income countries. The report notes clerical and administrative jobs have the highest exposure to AI, which could be one reason why AI poses an outsized risk to women workers. Between 93% and 97% of secretary and administrative assistant positions in the U.S. were held by women between 2000 and 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Comparatively, women made up between 40% and 44% of the workforce in the same 20-year period. Secretaries and administrators are the fifth most common professions for women in the U.S., according to the Department of Labor. Notably, the study does not mention caretaker jobs such as health aides that require emotional labor and are more likely to be held by women; they are considered more AI-proof. While AI has shown potential to gobble up jobs like software engineers and computer programmers, the technology may also threaten entry-level positions across white-collar industries beyond administrative roles. A Bloomberg report in April found AI could replace more than half the tasks performed by market research analysts and two-thirds of tasks done by sales representatives. The technology could perform only 9% and 21% of the respective tasks of those positions' managers. The ILO-NASK report isn't meant to say that AI will eliminate clerical or entry-level jobs. Rather, these jobs still require human involvement in some capacity, and identifying jobs that AI can partially complete can help prepare the workforce in those industries for technological changes. 'This index helps identify where GenAI is likely to have the biggest impact, so countries can better prepare and protect workers,' Marek Troszyński, senior expert at NASK, said in the report. Rembrand Koning, associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, believes one key to women future-proofing workplace roles that may be more exposed to AI is to follow the framework of viewing AI as a tool, not a threat. 'This goes back to the distinction between automation versus augmentation when we think about AI,' Koning told Fortune. 'We can think of this as a threat, which is that it's going to automate away a lot of these clerical jobs that might be held more by women. On the other hand, we can think of AI as automating a lot of this work, of allowing [workers] to take on tasks that might be higher paying, or that there might be more competition.' While Koning sees a path forward for workers to use AI to their benefit, he also sees a gender barrier: Women are using AI tools at an average 25% lower rate than men, his research found. There's not one clear reason for this disparity, Koning said, but one explanation outlined in a working paper co-authored by Koning is women are more concerned about the ethics of AI. Some fear they will be judged as cheating for using the technology or that leaning on AI tools will cause male colleagues to question their intelligence. 'Men seem to be much more confident—shall I say, overconfident—that, if they use AI, they'll still get all the benefits,' Koning said. The onus of changing who feels comfortable accessing AI falls not on the women workers, but on leaders in the workplace, Koning said. In many workplaces, workers, usually men, experiment with AI tools in the shadows. Even if an office doesn't have a license for or partnership with an AI company, its management should still set clear expectations and resources on how to use the technology, Koning suggested. 'If we want to make sure it's inclusive, it includes all workers, it's the job of a leader to bring everybody in,' he said. This story was originally featured on
Fast Company
20-05-2025
- Science
- Fast Company
AI advances may threaten women's jobs more than men's
Women may be at a heightened risk for being edged out of their job (or having their duties change) due to AI. According to a new study, jobs disproportionately done by women, especially in higher income countries, are more steadily becoming automated. The joint study, which comes from the United Nations' International Labour Organization (ILO) and Poland's National Research Institute (NASK), was released today. It assessed the ways in which generative AI is reshaping the world, as well as how it changes the role of human beings. 'We went beyond theory to build a tool grounded in real-world jobs. By combining human insight, expert review, and generative AI models, we've created a replicable method that helps countries assess risk and respond with precision,' said Pawel Gmyrek, ILO senior researcher and lead author, in a statement included in the study. How AI is changing jobs The report found that globally about one in four people have a job with generative AI exposure, meaning their jobs had the potential to be performed by AI. Researchers also found a significant contrast between how at-risk women's jobs were versus men's. They found that the jobs that had the greatest risk of being performed by AI made up 9.6% of female employment compared to just 3.5% of jobs typically held by men. Administrative tasks, most commonly performed in clerical jobs, were at the greatest risk, but jobs in media, software, and finance were also at notable risk, as well. The researchers noted that rather than AI taking over employees' jobs completely, human roles will, more commonly, evolve with the technology. 'We stress that such exposure does not imply the immediate automation of an entire occupation, but rather the potential for a large share of its current tasks to be performed using this technology,' the report explained. Shaping the future of work The study's authors also noted that governments, social dialogue, and worker organizations will be important in determining AI's growing impact on the workforce in the future. 'This index helps identify where GenAI is likely to have the biggest impact, so countries can better prepare and protect workers,' said Marek Troszyński, one of the researchers and a senior expert at NASK.
New Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
ILO: One in four jobs globally exposed to GenAI, but transformation more likely than loss
GENEVA: A new joint study from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Poland's National Research Institute (NASK) found that one in four jobs worldwide is potentially exposed to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) but that transformation, not replacement, is the most likely outcome. According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the report, launched on Tuesday, and titled "Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure", introduces the most detailed global assessment to date of how GenAI may reshape the world of work. The index provides a unique and nuanced snapshot of how AI could transform occupations and employment across countries, by combining nearly 30,000 occupational tasks with expert validation, AI-assisted scoring, and ILO harmonised micro data. ILO Senior Researcher and lead author of the study Pawel Gmyrek said: "We went beyond theory to build a tool grounded in real-world jobs. "By combining human insight, expert review, and generative AI models, we've created a replicable method that helps countries assess risk and respond with precision." The report's key findings include a ew "exposure gradients", which cluster occupations according to their level of exposure to Generative AI, help policymakers distinguish between jobs at high risk of full automation and those more likely to evolve through task transformation. Twenty-five per cent of global employment falls within occupations potentially exposed to GenAI, with higher shares in high-income countries (34 per cent). Exposure among women continues to be significantly higher. In high-income countries, jobs at the highest risk of automation make up 9.6 per cent of female employment - a stark contrast to 3.5 per cent of such jobs among men. Clerical jobs face the highest exposure of all, due to GenAI's theoretical ability to automate many of their tasks. However, the expanding abilities of GenAI result in an increased exposure of some highly digitised cognitive jobs in media-, software- and finance-related occupations. Full job automation, however, remains limited, since many tasks, though done more efficiently, continue to require human involvement. The study highlights the possibly divergent paths for occupations accustomed to rapid digital transformations, such as software developers, and those where limited digital skills might have more negative effects. Policies guiding the digital transitions will be a leading factor in determining the extent to which workers may be retained in occupations that are transforming as a result of AI, and how such transformation affects job quality. Marek Troszyński, Senior Expert at NASK and one of co-authors of the new paper, said: "This index helps identify where GenAI is likely to have the biggest impact, so countries can better prepare and protect workers. "Our next step is to apply this new index to detailed labour force data from Poland." The ILO–NASK study emphasised that the figures reflect potential exposure, not actual job losses. Technological constraints, infrastructure gaps, and skills shortages mean that implementation will differ widely by country and sector. The authors stress that GenAI's effect is more likely to transform jobs than eliminate them. The report called on governments, employers', and workers' organisations to engage in social dialogue and shape proactive, inclusive strategies that can enhance productivity and job quality, especially in exposed sectors. – Bernama-WAM
