As artificial intelligence reshapes the global job market, a new report by the International Labour Organization finds that women especially in high-income nations may bear the brunt of the transformation. Administrative and clerical roles traditionally held by women are particularly vulnerable, prompting calls for urgent policy intervention.
AI’s Uneven Impact: Women More Exposed in the Workplace
A new study by the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) has sounded the alarm on the gendered impact of artificial intelligence in the workplace. According to the report, jobs traditionally held by women are nearly three times more likely to be transformed by AI than those held by men 9.6% versus 3.5%, respectively.
The disparity is especially stark in high-income countries, where a large proportion of women are employed in clerical, secretarial, and administrative roles, which are increasingly being reshaped by generative AI and automation tools. The report stresses that this transformation doesn’t necessarily equate to job loss but rather a redefinition of roles, responsibilities, and skill sets.
“AI is not wiping out occupations wholesale,” the ILO explains, “but a substantial portion of tasks within jobs, especially in female-dominated sectors, are now susceptible to automation.”
Clerical and Cognitive Roles Face the Fastest Shift
The ILO identifies administrative support, secretarial duties, data entry, and scheduling as the most exposed sectors. These roles often involve routine cognitive tasks—prime targets for AI systems like chatbots, scheduling assistants, and document generators. With generative AI rapidly learning to mimic human language and logic, the very essence of what clerical workers do is being transformed.
While manual or customer-facing jobs remain less affected in the short term, the media, finance, and software industries are also at the forefront of this digital shift. Tasks such as content generation, coding, and financial analysis are already being supported—or in some cases, partially replaced—by advanced AI systems.
Still, the report cautions against alarmism. Most jobs, it notes, will be augmented rather than eliminated. Human judgment, emotional intelligence, and oversight will remain crucial, especially in client-facing and decision-making roles.
A Call for Equitable AI Governance and Job Design
The ILO report does more than analyze trends it issues a call to action. Governments, employers, and labor organizations must develop proactive strategies to ensure AI enhances rather than erodes job quality. It advocates for:
- Reskilling and upskilling programs, especially targeted at women in vulnerable occupations.
- Inclusive job design to ensure AI augments human potential rather than replaces it.
- Ethical AI governance, including transparency in how and where AI is deployed in the workplace.
“The future of work must be inclusive,” the report emphasizes. “As AI transforms roles, we must ensure that it uplifts workers—especially those already in precarious or historically undervalued positions.”