Canadian Public Sector Jobs Highly Exposed to AI Disruption

Recent studies reveal significant impacts of artificial intelligence on the labor market, especially within public sectors and early-career workers. In Canada, 74% of public sector jobs are highly exposed to AI, particularly federal roles in business, finance, and administration, with many jobs at risk due to low complementarity with AI technologies, suggesting a need for careful transition strategies. Similarly, a Stanford University study shows a 13-16% drop in employment for young workers (ages 22-25) in AI-exposed fields like software engineering and customer service, while employment for older workers in these sectors has grown, highlighting a shift favoring experience over entry-level hiring. In the UK, AI's potential to transform public sector tasks such as communication, rights conferral, and policymaking is significant, with generative AI offering opportunities for improved public engagement and automation, though challenges remain in design and public acceptance. Meanwhile, a U.S. survey indicates widespread anxiety among workers, especially technical support agents, about AI replacing jobs, reflecting a broader existential concern about job security and the visibility of human expertise amid automation. Experts emphasize the importance of using AI to augment rather than replace human roles to foster shared prosperity and to ensure labor market adjustments allow younger workers to enter and progress in their careers.