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Summary
This report shows the occupations, sectors and areas within the UK labour market that
are expected to be most impacted by AI and large language models specifically. It also
shows the qualifications and training routes that most commonly lead to these highly
impacted jobs. The main findings are:
• Professional occupations are more exposed to AI, particularly those
associated with more clerical work and across finance, law and business
management roles. This includes management consultants and business
analysts; accountants; and psychologists. Teaching occupations also show higher
exposure to AI, where the application of large language models is particularly
relevant.
• The finance & insurance sector is more exposed to AI than any other sector.
The other sectors most exposed to AI are information & communication;
professional, scientific & technical; property; public administration & defence; and
education.
• Workers in London and the South East have the highest exposure to AI,
reflecting the greater concentration of professional occupations in those areas.
Workers in the North East are in jobs with the least exposure to AI across the UK.
However, overall the variation in exposure to AI across the geographical areas is
much smaller than the variation observed across occupations or industries.
• Employees with more advanced qualifications are typically in jobs more
exposed to AI. For example, employees with a level 6 qualification (equivalent to
a degree) are more likely to work in a job with higher exposure to AI than
employees with a level 3 qualification (equivalent to A-Levels).
• Employees with qualifications in accounting and finance through Further
Education or apprenticeships, and economics and mathematics through
Higher Education are typically in jobs more exposed to AI. Employees with
qualifications at level 3 or below in building and construction, manufacturing
technologies, and transportation operations and maintenance are in jobs that are
least exposed to AI.
The analysis measures the exposure of jobs to AI, rather than distinguishing whether a
job will be augmented (aided) or replaced (substituted) by AI. Research by the
International Labor Organization (ILO)
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suggests that most jobs and industries are only
partly exposed to automation and are more likely to be complemented rather than
substituted by generative AI like ChatGPT. Annex 2 maps the jobs highlighted in that
report to the UK job market, and generally include customer service and administrative
occupations, including call and contact centre and unclassified administrative
occupations.
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Generative AI and jobs: A global analysis of potential effects on job quantity and quality (ilo.org)