Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to create 10.6 million jobs and eliminate 8.9 million worldwide by 2030, resulting in a net gain of 1.7 million jobs, according to a new forecast from Gartner.
The business and technology research firm presented its findings at the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo in Barcelona, Spain. The forecast also indicates that more than 20% of workers globally will experience changes to their jobs as AI adoption continues.
AI Job Losses and Hiring Delays
In 2026, AI-related workforce changes included 2.2 million jobs lost and 1.6 million jobs gained. Additionally, business executives deferred the creation of 1.3 million positions and the hiring of 1.3 million workers.
Gartner projects that delayed hiring will affect 5 million people by 2030 as business and IT executives postpone creating new positions.
John Lovelock, distinguished vice president analyst and chief of research at Gartner, emphasized that deferred positions differ from eliminated jobs because the positions were never created.
Meanwhile, Gartner estimates that between 0.4% and 1.8% of workers globally will lose their jobs directly because of AI by 2030.
However, job transformation will affect a much larger share of the workforce. Gartner forecasts that 435.5 million employees, representing just over 20% of global workers, will need to adapt to changes in their responsibilities, tasks, and working methods.
Helen Poitevin, distinguished vice president analyst at Gartner, said organizations with advanced AI implementation strategies use the technology to redesign operations and balance workforce and technology capabilities rather than simply replace employees.
She also cautioned that AI’s employment effects vary across industries, geographic regions, and job functions.
AI Employment Impact Varies by Industry
Gartner examined AI-related employment changes across three industry categories: asset-intensive industries, the public sector, and technology.
Asset-intensive industries: These industries produce physical goods or provide services through capital-intensive infrastructure and account for the largest share of global employment. Gartner forecasts that 6.4 million jobs will be created and 6 million eliminated by 2030. AI-related job losses will affect approximately 0.4% of the global workforce in this category.
Public sector: Gartner expects 400,000 jobs gained and 900,000 eliminated by 2030. AI-related job losses will represent approximately 0.4% of the global public sector workforce. Additionally, Gartner said AI investments are unlikely to sufficiently address severe skills shortages caused by other factors.
Technology: Nearly 70% of technology workers are highly exposed to AI, according to Gartner. Nevertheless, the sector is projected to gain 1.9 million jobs while losing 400,000 by 2030. AI-related job losses will affect approximately 1.8% of the global technology workforce.
Gartner emphasized that differences among industries require executives to evaluate AI-related workforce changes within their specific operating environments rather than apply findings from one sector to another.
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