The world of work is undergoing a silent yet powerful transformation, and it’s not just hype anymore. Generative AI — think ChatGPT, Gemini, and their cousins — is no longer a fringe tool reserved for tech geeks or data scientists. It’s increasingly becoming part of the daily workflow across industries, and if you’re working a desk job, this might already be affecting you more than you realize.
This isn’t another “robots are taking over” fear piece. It’s about how jobs are evolving — not disappearing — and how your skills can stay relevant in an AI-powered world. Let’s unpack what the International Labour Organization (ILO) discovered in their most recent global report and why it matters to workers, employers, policymakers, and you.
Why This Report Matters More Than Ever
This new ILO study updates the global occupational exposure index to generative AI, building on their 2023 research. But unlike the older version, the 2025 study dives much deeper. It evaluates over 29,000 real-world tasks and aligns them with occupations from the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08). More than just a number crunching exercise, the study combines AI predictions with human judgment and expert validation, offering one of the most realistic pictures we have so far.
One in Four Workers Could Be Affected by GenAI
The standout finding? Roughly 25% of global employment is now in occupations with some exposure to generative AI. But it gets more nuanced.
- 3.3% of workers are in the highest exposure category, where GenAI could automate major parts of their roles.
- Clerical support jobs are still the most at risk.
- Women appear more exposed than men, with 4.7% of female employment in the highest-risk category, compared to 2.4% for men.
- This gender gap grows in high-income countries, where nearly 10% of women’s jobs fall into the most exposed category.
The Real Risk Isn’t Job Loss - It’s Job Transformation
If you’re imagining mass layoffs because of AI, you’re not alone. But the reality is more nuanced. Most jobs won’t vanish - they’ll change.
Jobs are made up of tasks, and most tasks still require human input. Think about customer support. AI can handle frequently asked questions, but it struggles with emotional nuance, policy exceptions, or ethical decisions. So, rather than replacing entire roles, AI is more likely to augment your job, taking over repetitive tasks and letting you focus on higher-value work.
The ILO emphasizes that transformation is more likely than automation, meaning that upskilling, reskilling, and smart policy support are going to be critical moving forward.
Occupations Most Exposed to GenAI
Some jobs are more vulnerable to GenAI-driven automation than others. Here’s a snapshot:
- High Exposure (Gradient 4): Clerical support workers, data entry roles, legal assistants, and jobs involving repetitive, rule-based communication.
- Moderate Exposure: Professionals in finance, marketing, IT support — especially those who deal with digital data.
- Low Exposure: Jobs requiring physical dexterity, emotional intelligence, or localized context — like healthcare aides, plumbers, and elementary school teachers.
Interestingly, some occupations previously considered “safe” are now climbing the exposure ladder due to GenAI’s growing ability to handle specialized tasks.
The Income Gap in AI Exposure
The divide between low- and high-income countries is stark. The report notes:
- In low-income countries, about 11% of jobs show GenAI exposure.
- In high-income countries, that figure shoots up to 34%.
Why? Greater digital infrastructure, more desk-based jobs, and faster adoption of technology mean that richer countries are both more exposed and more capable of adapting to AI.
Women at Higher Risk – Here’s Why
Female workers are disproportionately represented in clerical and administrative roles, which have the highest exposure to GenAI automation. The ILO found that even within the same occupational categories, men tend to score lower automation risk — possibly due to task allocation differences or access to more strategic roles within departments.
This underlines a crucial point: AI doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It mirrors — and can amplify — existing inequalities in the job market.
What Can Be Done? Turning Risk Into Opportunity
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about reacting to change. It’s about shaping it.
Here’s what we should be focusing on:
1. Upskilling and Reskilling at Scale
Governments and companies need to make massive investments in training. Think data literacy, critical thinking, and human-AI collaboration skills. These are becoming as essential as basic computer knowledge once was.
2. Smart, Inclusive Policy Design
Policymakers must use data like the ILO’s to target support where it’s most needed. Gender-sensitive strategies, income-based interventions, and rural inclusion programs should be non-negotiables.
3. Social Dialogue and Safety Nets
We need to bring workers into the conversation. Social protection systems must evolve to support workers transitioning between roles, not just those who are unemployed.
4. Rethinking Job Design
Let’s use AI to make work more meaningful, not just more efficient. Automate the dull. Keep the creative, strategic, empathetic tasks for humans.
You’re Not Powerless in the Age of AI
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by headlines about AI taking over jobs. But knowledge is power. By understanding which roles are at risk, what tasks are being automated, and how this transformation plays out globally, you can take proactive steps to future-proof your career or lead your organization with more foresight.
Generative AI isn’t here to replace us. It’s here to challenge us — to rethink, reimagine, and retool the way we work.
Let’s not waste the opportunity.