27% jobs in OECD nations at high risk of automation

PARIS, FRANCE — Around 27% of jobs within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are at high risk of automation due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). 

According to OECD’s 2023 Employment Outlook, jobs utilizing more than a quarter of skills and abilities deemed easily automated by AI experts are the most susceptible. Eastern European countries face the most significant risk.

Concurrently, a separate OECD survey involving 5,300 workers in manufacturing and finance revealed that three out of five employees fear that they could lose their jobs within the decade due to AI. 

Despite the anxiety about AI’s impact on the job market, two-thirds of those already working with AI also reported that automation has rendered their jobs less dangerous or monotonous.

“How AI will ultimately impact workers in the workplace and whether the benefits will outweigh the risks will depend on the policy actions we take,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann told a news conference.

“Governments must help workers to prepare for the changes and benefit from the opportunities AI will bring about,” he continued.

The report suggested minimum wages and collective bargaining could alleviate the wage pressure AI could bring while governments and regulators must ensure that workers’ rights are not compromised in the AI transition.

The OECD is a group of 37 democratic countries that discuss and develop economic and social policies.