Industry Odisha Bureau, Sep 22: Goldman Sachs Research has linked AI adoption to hiring weakness in several white-collar industries. Technology, call centres and consulting show pressure across developed economies.*
Artificial intelligence appears to be reshaping hiring in specific white-collar sectors. Goldman Sachs Research has examined this trend across developed economies. Technology, call centres and consulting show notable employment pressure. Economy-wide job displacement, however, remains limited so far.
AI Reshapes White-Collar Hiring
Corporate adoption of generative AI has triggered hiring pullbacks. These pullbacks concentrate within specialised service industries, Goldman Sachs found. Information and communication services rank among the most exposed sectors. Employment growth in these industries has slowed since 2022. That slowdown appears across nearly all major developed markets, the report said.
Technology Jobs Show Pressure
Technology-sector employment has fallen below long-term trends, according to the research. This weakness appears particularly pronounced within the United States. Goldman Sachs economists Sarah Dong and Joseph Briggs authored the analysis. They described tech-hiring headwinds as global, though strongest in America. The researchers called negative effects most compelling within the US labour market.
Professional Services Feel Automation Effects
Beyond technology, other knowledge-based industries show similar contractions. Call centres, software publishing and management consulting have all weakened. Advertising services have also fallen below historical employment trends. Goldman Sachs attributed these patterns to expanding automation-tool availability. Each industry reflects varying exposure to AI-driven labour substitution.
US, Canada and Germany Show Different Gaps
Call-centre employment illustrates these regional variations clearly. It stands 39% below trend in the United States currently. Canada’s corresponding figure reaches 33% below trend. Germany shows a comparatively smaller gap, at 27% below trend. These figures reflect deviations from expected employment levels, not direct layoffs.
Economy-Wide Displacement Remains Limited
Goldman Sachs was careful to frame these findings narrowly. Sector-specific hiring weakness does not equal broad labour-market collapse. The research explicitly distinguishes targeted pressure from economy-wide displacement. Most white-collar employment remains outside the sectors studied here.
Automation Availability Shapes Exposure
The researchers linked employment headwinds to tool availability specifically. Industries where automation tools already exist show clearer pressure patterns. This suggests exposure varies significantly across different white-collar occupations. Goldman Sachs frames this as an evolving, industry-specific labour dynamic. Whether these patterns deepen across other sectors remains an open question. The findings offer an early empirical view of AI’s uneven employment effects.
