Women May Bear the Brunt of Job Losses as a Result of Artificial Intelligence

A new study by researchers at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds that women may have a greater likelihood of losing their jobs due to artificial intelligence than men.

Artificial intelligence has become a game changer for many industries, offering new ways to automate tasks, increase productivity, and improve quality. While this technology will create new job opportunities, the exposure of generative AI to automate tasks in existing jobs will have an impact on those occupations as well. These include changes in job tasks and professional roles, the need to learn new skills to remain competitive, and, unfortunately, the loss of jobs.

The Kenan Institute analysis finds that eight out of 10 women in the U.S. workforce are in occupations highly exposed to generative AI automation, compared to six out of 10 men. Overall, 21 percent more women are exposed to AI automation than men even though men outnumber women in the workforce. “Highly exposed” means 25 to 50 percent of the tasks in that occupation could be automated by generative AI.

Among the 15 occupations identified as being most vulnerable to elimination due to artificial intelligence, several have a high percentage of women in the workforce. Among these 15 occupations that could have major job losses are occupations where women make up two thirds of the total workforce. These include office and administrative support services, healthcare practitioners and technicians, education, training and library services, healthcare support services, and community and social services.