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.
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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.”