Women are more likely to be affected by AI automation at work than men, according to Goldman Sachs report

Women are likely to be disproportionately impacted by artificial intelligence (AI) automation while women in Asia’s major economies still suffer more from gender disparity in the workforce, according to a report by Goldman Sachs.

Women are more likely to be affected by the changes that AI will bring due to the kind of jobs they do. Women are more likely to work in service sectors than men and remain less represented in fields where AI may have less impact, such as construction and maintenance, according to the Women (Still) Hold Up Half the Sky report.

“The majority of people in the high exposure category [to AI] are women,” the report states, adding that the impact of AI is likely to be higher in developed markets than in emerging markets, given the higher share of service sector jobs in developed economies.

According to a recent report by IT recruiter Venturenix, financial services hub Hong Kong could see a quarter of its workforce being replaced by 2028, leaving 800,000 Hongkongers out of work.

Moreover, the lack of women in the AI industry poses a challenge for gender equity going forward, according to the Goldman Sachs report, as women currently make up only 20 per cent of AI and data professionals.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023, the education sector has the most female AI talent, accounting for 40 per cent of the total. Female AI talent in fields like technology, information, media, and manufacturing remains at less than 25 per cent of the total.