OECD Warns "27% of Jobs at Risk of Disappearing Due to AI"

'2023 Employment Outlook' Announcement
60% of Workers "Worried About AI-Driven Job Loss in 10 Years"
OECD Calls for Minimum Wage and Proactive Policies

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has issued a warning that one in four jobs worldwide is at risk of disappearing due to the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.

"AI Threatens Jobs"

On the 11th (local time), the OECD released its '2023 Employment Outlook' report, stating, "There is concern that workers may lose their jobs to AI."

The OECD assessed that 26.8% of jobs in member countries are at risk due to AI. In particular, relatively economically underdeveloped Eastern European countries such as Hungary (36.4%), Slovakia (35.7%), the Czech Republic (35.2%), Poland (33.5%), and Lithuania (31%) showed higher risk levels. The at-risk occupations included those that use 25 or more of the 100 skills that can be easily automated by AI.

However, the report noted that there is currently no evidence that AI has had a significant impact on the labor market. It analyzed that this is because the AI revolution is still in its early stages. Since this survey was conducted before the global AI craze sparked by the release of 'ChatGPT,' foreign media have analyzed that the risk AI poses to jobs will increase further as AI develops.

Three out of Five Workers Fear Job Loss in 10 Years... OECD Calls for Minimum Wage and Proactive Policies

The majority of workers surveyed also expressed concern about potential job loss due to AI. According to an OECD survey of 5,300 employees working at 2,000 companies in the manufacturing and financial sectors, three out of five workers believe they could lose their jobs to AI within the next 10 years. However, two-thirds of workers at companies that have adopted AI responded that automation has reduced dangerous tasks or the monotony of work.

This is not the first report to raise concerns about AI's threat to employment. Earlier this year, Goldman Sachs warned that while AI development could boost global GDP growth by 7% annually over the next decade, 300 million jobs could disappear.

The OECD focused more on the risks than the benefits of AI in the labor market in this survey. Stefano Scarpetta, Director of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs at the OECD, stated, "Generative AI has significant potential to replace jobs in the labor market," adding, "It raises concerns about wage reductions and unemployment." He also warned, "AI may involve serious ethical issues related to data and privacy protection, transparency and explainability, bias and discrimination, automatic decision-making, and accountability."

The OECD proposed minimum wage systems and collective bargaining as alternatives to the AI-driven job crisis. It also emphasized that governments and regulatory authorities must take proactive measures to ensure workers' rights are not violated. Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the OECD, said, "The ultimate impact of AI on workers and whether the benefits outweigh the risks depend on the policy measures we take," adding, "Governments must support workers in preparing for change and benefiting from the opportunities AI will bring."