Work At OECD Vulnerable To AI Automation, Workers Worried About Job Loss

Illustration of AI has a significant impact on work (photo: dock. pexels)

JAKARTA - More than a quarter of OECD's work depends on skills that can be easily automated in the upcoming artificial intelligence revolution, and workers fear they could lose their jobs due to AI. This was revealed by OECD on Tuesday, July 11.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a 38-member bloc, most of which consists of rich countries but also some developing countries such as Mexico and Estonia.

According to the OECD, there is no evidence that the emergence of AI has had a significant impact on work to date, but it is possible because the revolution is still in its early stages.

The highest risk work to automate includes 27% of the average workforce in OECD countries, with the countries in Eastern Europe most vulnerable, the OECD 2023 Job Prospect Report said.

The highest risk work is defined as a job that uses more than 25 of the 100 skills and abilities that AI experts think can be easily automated.

Meanwhile, three out of five workers fear that they could lose their jobs due to AI in the next 10 years, as found in last year's OECD survey. The survey involved 5,300 workers in 2,000 companies in the manufacturing and financial sectors in seven OECD countries.

The survey was conducted before the emergence of AI genratives such as very sophisticated ChatGPT.

Despite concerns about the emergence of AI, two-thirds of workers already working with AI say automation has made their work safer or less boring.

"How will AI ultimately affect 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 said at a news conference.

"The government must help workers to prepare themselves for changes and take advantage of the opportunities AI will lead to," he continued.

Minimum wages and collective negotiations can help reduce the pressure AI may put on wages, while governments and regulators need to ensure that workers' rights are not disrupted, according to OECD.