Artificial intelligence continues to grow in the UK workforce, and a new study suggests that millions of workers could feel its impact over the next decade. According to a new report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), 3 million low-skilled jobs could disappear by 2035 due to the combined forces of AI and automation. Although the report acknowledges that the overall economy could still add about 2.3 million new jobs over the same period, those gains will not be distributed equally. The greatest concern is for people in business, machine operation and administrative roles, who face the greatest risk of being replaced by machines or software.

On the other hand, demand for highly skilled professionals such as engineers, scientists and teachers is expected to increase as technology increases productivity and increases workloads “at least in the medium term”.

List of jobs at risk

According to NFER, the occupations most sensitive to automation include administrative assistants, factory and machine operators, warehouse workers, cashiers and some occupations like plumbing, roofing and electrical work. These roles are typically repetitive and predictable, making them prime candidates for AI and robotics.

In contrast, roles that require creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex decision making are less likely to be replaced. The report found that professionals in law, management, health care, education and psychology are likely to be in demand as technology enhances rather than eliminates their roles.

However, even within those businesses, AI is expected to reshape the way work is done. For example, lawyers and consultants can rely heavily on AI tools to handle research, document drafting and data analysis, reducing the need for junior assistant roles.

Jude Hillary, one of the report’s authors, cautioned that predictions of massive AI job losses may be exaggerated, at least for now. “There is general uncertainty about where things are going, how long the recovery will take,” he said. “There’s a lot of talk about AI and automation without any real facts. A lot of employers are worried about it.”

Hillary said that while low-skilled workers face the greatest risk, the bigger concern is how they will re-skill for new roles. “The additional jobs we are gaining in the labor market are professionals and paraprofessionals,” he said. “Displaced workers, of whom we talk about one to three million in our report, face significant barriers to getting back into the labor market.”

More studies point to the same trend

NFER’s findings are consistent with recent research linking AI adoption to labor market changes, but there is some disagreement over which sectors are most exposed.

A King’s College study published in October suggested that high-paying, knowledge-based industries could indeed face deep cuts. It is estimated that “high-paying firms” faced about 9.4 percent job losses between 2021 and 2025, with the majority of this occurring after the release of ChatGPT in late 2022.

Meanwhile, the UK government lists management consultants, psychologists and legal professionals among the professions “most exposed to AI”, while roles such as sports players, roofers and masons appear to be safer.

Real-world examples are already emerging and are not limited to the UK. Last week, Clifford Chance announced it would ax 10 percent of its professional services staff in London, around 50 roles, citing AI-driven changes. Similarly, the head of PwC recently backed down from plans to hire 100,000 people between 2021 and 2026, acknowledging that “the world is different” as artificial intelligence changes hiring needs. Apple has announced a reduction in roles within its sales teams as part of efforts to enhance the ways the company connects with customers. The tech giant said the job cuts would only affect some employees and stressed that it would continue to fill positions in other departments.

Another big brand, Google, has reportedly laid off more than 100 employees from its design teams. The job cuts announced earlier this week affected employees across multiple divisions, including the cloud unit’s “quantitative user experience research” and “platform and service experience” teams, as well as some other departments.

Despite this, NFER’s Hillary believes the current layoffs may have less to do with AI and more to do with broader economic stagnation. “What’s probably happening is that a lot of employers are sitting idly by,” he said. “They are unsure about what AI means in practice.”

For now, the future of work in Britain appears to be a mixed picture, with some professions to flourish, others to fade, and millions of workers may need to be retrained to remain relevant in an economy increasingly being shaped by intelligent machines.