8m+ Italian white-collar workers may become unemployed because of AI
In Italy, approximately 8.4m jobs will be at risk due to the wider spread of AI, RIA Novosti reports with reference to Confartigianato (largest national organisation of artisans and small businesses)
According to experts, the greatest risk of being out of work threatens white collar workers: representatives of the professions which require intellectual and administrative skills. In particular, this applies to the IT sphere, management, employees of administrative positions, as well as scientists, engineers and civil servants. To a lesser extent, the risk of losing jobs due to the spread of AI may threaten workers who engage in physical activity, including artisans.
As noted by the authors of Confartigianato’s report, the results of deep technological transformations and automation processes will be experienced by 36.2 percent of all employees.
Regionally, the danger to personnel from the AI spread is higher in industrially developed Lombardy and the metropolitan region of Lazio, where 35.2 and 32 percent of those employed in 2022 can feel the impact.
The report also analysed the positive aspects of the AI use; they deal with the optimisation of work and the introduction of new technologies. For example, in Italy, 6.9 percent of small and medium-sized businesses already use robots, and this figure is higher than the European average by 4.6 percent and twice as much as in Germany (3.5 percent). Another 5.3 percent of Italian companies have implemented artificial intelligence systems and 13 percent plan to invest in AI in the near future.
"There is no robot or algorithm that could copy the craft skills and imitate the ‘soul’ of beautifully and well-made products and services that make the Made in Italy brand unique in the world," Confartigianato’s President Marco Granelli said.
It is reported that, among the EU countries, the greatest danger to the labour market in connection with the introduction of AI exists in Luxembourg; here, 59.4 percent of employees may lose their jobs, presumably. According to this indicator, Germany and France are ahead of Italy with 43 and 41.1 percent, respectively.
