Jobs conventionally done by women are at a higher risk of being transformed by artificial intelligence than those done by men, especially in high-income countries, a new report released by United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) found this week.
The report, which involved Poland’s National Research Institute (NASK) found that 9.6 per cent of traditionally female jobs such as secretarial work were potentially exposed to transformation by automation compared with 3.5 per cent of those carried out by men.
While the report acknowledged AI’s increasing undertaking of administrative tasks, it was quick to point out that human involvement will still be needed for many tasks.
It was also clear in conveying that “transformation, not replacement, is the most likely outcome” and that “the figures reflect potential exposure, not actual job losses.”
Janine Berg, Senior Economist at the ILO warned that it is easy to “get lost in the AI hype.”
“What we need is clarity and context,” she said. “This tool helps countries across the world assess potential exposure and prepare their labour markets for a fairer digital future.”
According to the report, clerical jobs face the highest exposure of all, due to generative artificial intelligence’s theoretical ability to automate many of their tasks.
“However, the expanding abilities of [generative artificial intelligence] result in an increased exposure” of highly digitised cognitive jobs such as those in media, software and finance, the report said.
“We stress that such exposure does not imply the immediate automation of an entire occupation, but rather the potential for a large share of its current tasks to be performed using this technology.”
The report called on governments, employers, and workers’ organisations to set out establishing social dialogue and build proactive, inclusive strategies that can increase productivity and job quality, especially in the exposed sectors that have been identified.
A recent joint report issued by this masthead and Salesforce found that many women are reluctant to engage in generative AI due to a fear of ‘breaking rules’ or ‘perceived threat to job security.’
According to Nadia Lee, CEO of ThatsMyFace, educating women in this space is vital. “A well-informed workforce is our first line of defence, capable of leveraging AI tools responsibility and effectively,” she said. “Proper education and practical training are key to empowering our employees to utilise GenAI confidently and creatively.”
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