// ECONOMIC SECURITY: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Artificial intelligence is reshaping labour markets globally, transforming tasks, job quality and workforce dynamics. Key to this transition is safeguarding decent work and reducing inequality through inclusive, human-centred frameworks Ensuring decent work in the age of artificial intelligence
Gilbert Houngbo, director-general, International Labour Organization A rtificial intelligence is increas- ingly affecting economies and labour markets across the world. For the International Labour Organization, the central question is not whether AI will transform work, but how this transformation can be managed to advance decent work and social justice. As outlined in the G7 Action Plan for a human-centered development and use of safe, secure and trustworthy AI in the World of Work, adopted in 2024, G7 members need to address both the opportu- nities and challenges arising from adopting AI to develop future-proof and resilient labour markets that leave no one behind. Beyond headlines purporting a ‘jobs apocalypse’, ILO evidence offers a more nuanced message: AI is more likely to transform jobs than to elim- inate them. Although one in four workers globally is in an occupation with some degree of exposure to gen- erative AI, only a smaller share of global jobs (3.3%) faces a high risk of automation. In most cases, AI is likely to affect specific tasks within jobs, reshaping how work is performed rather than replacing workers alto- gether. But, as AI capabilities grow rapidly, we need to continue to mon- itor the impacts of AI, particularly in
its agentic form, not only on tasks but also more broadly on business pro- cesses and work organisation, which are likely to have more profound implications for jobs. However as the technology evolves, we know this transformation will be uneven. Exposure to AI varies signif- icantly across sectors, occupations and countries. Due to differences in the structure of the economy, high- income countries are more exposed than developing countries, but the differences are asymmetric. The latest research on these differences suggests that developing countries may experience the disruptive effects of genAI faster than its productivity benefits. Within countries, overrep- resentation in more exposed jobs, such as clerical and administrative work, leaves women potentially more vulnerable to the automation effects of AI. UNEVEN TRANSFORMATION: EXPOSURE, RISK AND LABOUR MARKET GAPS For enterprises, especially micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, the adoption of AI presents both opportunities and challenges. Larger firms are better positioned to lever- age AI for productivity gains, while
58 // G7 FRANCE: THE ÉVIAN SUMMIT 2026
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