Workers Most at Risk of Being Hit by AI Layoffs Are Well-Positioned to Adapt, Study Finds

No one really knows exactly how AI will reshape the job market, but a new study has identified which workers are most likely to adapt if AI replaces their jobs. Researchers from the Brookings Institute published a study earlier this year for the National Bureau of Economic Research examining how adaptable workers are in occupations with high exposure to AI, meaning jobs where AI could potentially displace them. They looked at factors like how easily AI could perform certain job tasks, as well as workers’ age, skills, local job markets, and even union membership. Overall, there’s some good news. Of the 37.1 million U.S. workers in jobs with the highest exposure to AI, about 26.5 million also have above-median adaptive capacity, meaning they are well positioned to find new work if AI replaces their current roles. The study arrives at a time when tech companies are pouring huge sums of money into AI and trying to build smaller, more “agile” teams with the help of the technology. This year alone Amazon, Vimeo, Pinterest, and Block have laid off thousands of workers. When announcing layoffs at Block, CEO Jack Dorsey effectively said that the company is betting AI could replace a large s