One in four jobs will be affected by artificial intelligence

BarcelonaOne in four Catalan workers are exposed to the implementation of artificial intelligence. Specifically, a study by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce details that 26.5% of employed individuals have medium or high exposure, while 29% of workers would not experience any impact from the technology. By gender, women also present a higher percentage of exposure at all ages, and the gap is even more pronounced between those aged 35-44 and those aged 45-54, where 22.6% and 23.8%, respectively, could be highly affected. It should be noted that the study's exposure level does not solely measure the risk of substitution, but also the potential for task transformation.

The report identifies that, unlike previous technological revolutions – which mostly impacted manual and routine tasks –, generative AI strongly affects cognitive, creative, or administrative jobs. “The impact of generative AI on the labor market is not neutral from a gender perspective; inequalities may be amplified in the future”, explained Carme Poveda, director of Economic Analysis at the Chamber and the Observatory of Women, Business and Economy (ODEE).

Specifically, Poveda stated that, of the five occupations with the highest exposure, four are “clearly feminized” jobs; while the occupations least affected by the advent of AI are masculinized, with manual activities such as mechanics or bricklayers. In this regard, among the 25 occupations most affected by AI, women hold more than 50% of the jobs in 17 of them. “Women are more present in occupations most exposed to AI and also have a greater gap in digital skills, which limits their ability to adapt to the new market reality”, Poveda warned.

Hiring and employment

The growing implementation of AI in companies, however, would not yet have an impact on hiring, except in jobs where its impact can be higher. Specifically, between 2023 and 2025, hiring in this group has decreased by 7.7%. Some of the jobs that make up the category include, among others, teleoperators, administrative employees, telemarketing operators, and analysts, programmers, and web and multimedia designers, or receptionists. However, despite the drop in hiring, employment in these jobs has continued to increase.

During the same period, hiring in all other degrees of exposure to AI has also fallen. But, as Poveda explained at a press conference, this drop cannot be attributed to technology. Thus, as the report indicates, when analyzing the evolution of hiring in all occupations with their level of exposure to AI, "only a slight positive correlation is observed."

On the other hand, the Chamber has also noted a sharp increase in dismissals in administrative activities (+513.5%), information and communications (+327.5%), and professional services (+139.9%). Although, as Poveda said, these jobs have been "absorbed" by other companies. In this regard, the president of ODEE, Sílvia Bach, has indicated that it is "important" for companies to train their workers on how to use artificial intelligence tools and not to "look elsewhere" for profiles with these skills.