ILO Report: AI and Automation Hit Young Workers at Career Entry

According to the ILO, many of these occupations form typical entry-level positions for younger workers. Especially at the start of their careers, young people are disproportionately dependent on such jobs.

Regional Focal Points

The findings are based on ILO evaluations examining the change in the labor market across several regions. In Europe and North America, the share of employees working in particularly automation-vulnerable areas is especially high.

According to the analyses, changes in the world of work are proceeding unevenly. While new requirements are emerging in data-driven occupational fields, traditional routine activities are disappearing faster than new jobs are being created.

Demands and Outlook

The ILO emphasizes that technological change does not necessarily have to lead to job losses. What matters are investments in further training, retraining, and targeted support for affected workers.

In this context, experts also point to findings from other research institutes, such as the Ifo Institute, which observe similar trends in the spread of AI applications in businesses. According to its own statements, the ILO draws on data from 32 countries.

The international discussion about the future of work is gaining additional urgency as a result of the findings. According to the ILO's assessment, trade unions, employer associations, and governments are equally called upon to shape the transition in a socially responsible manner.

For Switzerland and other European economies, the development means, according to the study's authors, that policymakers and education systems must respond more quickly to the changed requirements. Targeted educational offerings and measures for upskilling could gain in importance.

The ILO announces that it will further deepen its analysis in the coming months. The impacts on specific age groups as well as on women and men in different occupational fields are also to be examined in more detail.

Overall, the report shows that technological change can exacerbate structural inequalities in the labor market if no compensatory measures are taken. The transition from training into employment, in particular, faces new challenges as a result.