Newsroom
Workers around the world have reason to be nervous about artificial intelligence. Headlines of layoffs at American companies and warnings from some of AI’s top leaders have stoked fears that machines could soon take over human jobs.
But recent research suggests the opposite is happening, at least for now. Jobs most exposed to AI automation are growing faster than they did before the pandemic and faster than other occupations.
The Vanguard survey looked at 140 roles considered highly vulnerable to AI, including clerical workers, HR assistants, law firm clerks, data scientists, and typists. These are jobs that spend hours on repetitive tasks AI could perform without human help.
And yet, from mid-2023 to mid-2025, employment in these roles grew 1.7%, up from 1% before the pandemic. Wages also jumped: average real pay rose 3.8% post-pandemic, compared with just 0.1% pre-pandemic. Meanwhile, all other jobs grew more slowly, both in employment and pay.
“At a high level, we don’t see any evidence that occupations exposed to AI are experiencing lower employment,” said Adam Sickling, a Vanguard economist.
Why hasn’t AI caused widespread job losses? Sickling points to the limitations of the technology. AI systems still make mistakes, sometimes called “hallucinations,” and they aren’t yet reliable enough to fully replace humans in many roles.
Still, he warns that the threat isn’t gone. As AI tools evolve, certain jobs will face disruption. Customer service representatives, paralegals, data scientists, and similar roles could see lower demand as machines take on more tasks.
For now, though, AI hasn’t triggered the mass unemployment many feared. Instead, it seems to be creating opportunities and boosting wages, a surprising twist for workers bracing for an automated takeover.
