IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva says AI could affect 40% of jobs worldwide and 60% in wealthier countries, with young workers especially exposed as employers automate entry-level tasks. Her warning is not that overall demand for workers has already collapsed: she says AI is shifting the kinds of jobs employers need, while the longer-term effects remain uncertain.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
Speaking at the IMF’s annual meetings in Bangkok, Georgieva said routine and repetitive jobs were already shrinking as demand for workers with AI skills increased. City A.M. reports that an IMF study of the US labour market found 10% of jobs now require higher-level AI skills, which typically command better pay.
Georgieva also warned that young people could lose traditional entry-level routes into professional careers. She called on governments to rethink education, invest in lifelong learning and monitor employment changes closely. The figures describe potential exposure to AI, not a count of jobs already lost.
Why it matters
The distinction between exposure and job loss matters. A role may change substantially without disappearing, but automating routine work could still reshape how people enter an industry and build experience. That makes the first rung of the career ladder a practical concern, not just a footnote in a forecast.
The reported US figure also points to a changing skills mix: more jobs require higher-level AI skills, while the effects on pay and opportunities are uneven. Georgieva says the immediate picture is a shift in demand, not evidence that AI has already reduced overall demand for workers.
Our read
This is a warning about the shape of work, not a reliable timetable for mass unemployment. The most useful question is whether education and employers can create credible routes into work as routine tasks change. “Learn new skills” is easy advice to give; making the training accessible, relevant and worth the effort is the harder bit.
What to watch
- Whether further labour-market data show entry-level roles shrinking or changing.
- Whether employers expand training and early-career pathways alongside AI adoption.
- How governments respond to the IMF’s call for lifelong learning and closer monitoring.
Discussion spark: If AI removes routine entry-level tasks, who should be responsible for creating the next route into a profession: employers, governments or education providers?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (12 October 2026, 15:53 UTC)
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