McKinsey research shows that artificial intelligence will create more jobs in the U.S. economy by 2035 than it displaces, but about 11 million workers will need to transition to new occupations during this period, according to fortune.com. The study highlights that while total jobs will increase, the occupational mix will shift significantly, requiring substantial retraining and credentialing efforts over the next decade.
The research details that roughly 770,000 workers annually will need to cross occupational lines, a rate 3.6 times higher than historical trends. For example, administrative assistants, whose roles face up to 80 percent automation, have a viable pathway to become project managers. Their existing skills in planning, scheduling, and stakeholder management cover about 58 percent of project manager tasks, with gaps in areas like forecasting and quality management that can be bridged through training, fortune.com reported.
This shift underscores the challenges and opportunities AI presents to the labor market. Unlike previous disruptions, such as the COVID-19 surge that lasted a couple of years, this transition is expected to persist for at least a decade. The findings emphasize the need for targeted workforce development programs to help workers adapt to evolving job requirements and capitalize on new roles created by AI advancements.
The McKinsey report quantifies the scale of this transition, projecting that 11 million Americans will need to move to different occupations by 2035, with an average of 770,000 workers annually crossing occupational boundaries, according to fortune.com.