AI-exposed sectors see sharp drop in youth employment: BOK report
Youth employment has fallen sharply in sectors highly exposed to artificial intelligence (AI) technology since the emergence of generative AI chatbots, a central bank report showed Tuesday. Over the four-year period from June 2022 to June 2026, the number of jobs held by people aged 15 to 29 fell by 285,000, according to the report published by the Bank of Korea (BOK). Of the total decline,…
According to a recent report by the Bank of Korea, the number of youth employed in sectors heavily reliant on artificial intelligence (AI) has plummeted dramatically since the advent of generative AI chatbots in 2022. Over a four-year span from June 2022 to June 2026, youth employment in these AI-intense industries plummeted by 285,000 jobs, according to the central bank's findings. This decline was primarily concentrated in key sectors like IT services, publishing, computer programming, and professional services.
Notably, 94 percent of this job loss, or 268,000 positions, occurred in AI-exposed sectors. This stark contrast with an increase of 230,000 jobs for individuals aged 50 and above, with a significant 173,000 of those additions coming from AI-related sectors. The report began tracking these trends in 2022, the year ChatGPT was released.
By industry, youth employment in IT services saw a significant decline of 31.4 percent during the study period. Similarly, publishing and software/web design professionals experienced a 27.4 percent drop in youth employment. Computer programming saw a 16.6 percent decrease in youth employment, while professional services saw an 11.6 percent decline in positions held by young people.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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