A Microsoft study and an ILO report reveal that generative artificial intelligence puts a quarter of global jobs at risk. Call centre workers, translators, and business professors top the list of the most vulnerable.
Generative artificial intelligence is no longer a promise for the future: it is redefining the labour market at a dizzying pace. According to a Microsoft study titled Working with AI: Measuring the Occupational Implications of Generative AI, and a report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) from 2025, around 25% of jobs worldwide are potentially exposed to this technology. This figure is not an apocalyptic prediction, but a warning based on real data from over 200,000 anonymous user conversations with Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant.
The jobs most threatened by AI
The Microsoft study analysed how AI could assist in the tasks of different professionals and determined which occupations are at the greatest risk of replacement or wage reduction. The focus is on those jobs that involve repetitive or language-based tasks, which AI already executes efficiently. The list includes telemarketing operators, interpreters, translators, historians, and surprisingly, university professors in business-related fields.
It is no coincidence that these professions are the first in the firing line. Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Grok, can draft texts, translate languages, and analyse data at a speed that no human can match. However, the ILO prefers to talk about transformation rather than elimination: technology will change occupations, but a human operator will always be needed to coordinate the machines. Someone will have to tell the bots what to do and how to do it.
At the opposite end, the most protected professions are those that require a high level of technical knowledge and manual work. Nurses, massage therapists, foundry workers, naval engineers, dentists, painters, and plumbers currently have a natural shield against automation. The reason is simple: AI still cannot replicate the physical skill or clinical judgement required by these trades.
Young people, the most affected by the rise of AI
If the type of work matters, so does age. A study by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) in Brazil, published last year, reveals that artificial intelligence will have a greater negative impact on those seeking their first job. Young people aged 18 to 29 are facing a labour market that no longer needs them as it once did. The likelihood of this group finding employment has decreased by at least 5% since 2022, according to data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (Pnad Continua) from IBGE.
The blow is not only in the number of positions but also in wages. The income of younger workers has fallen by around 7% compared to levels before the emergence of assistants like ChatGPT. The efficiency of machines has made competition almost unfair for many newcomers. Replacement is seen as a natural consequence of technological evolution, but for those starting their careers, the reality is that doors are closing before they open.
FGV's data aligns with another report from McKinsey & Company, which notes a 14% reduction in hiring workers aged 22 to 25 in areas exposed to automation since 2022. The consultancy believes that technology not only reduces the need for employees in entry-level positions but also boosts the productivity of more experienced professionals. The competition, it seems, will not be against the machine, but against those who still resist using it.
What this means for Spanish workers
For readers interested in the Spanish labour market, the warning is clear: continuous training and technological adaptation are no longer optional. The most exposed profiles, such as call centre workers or translators, will need to seek specialisations that AI cannot easily replicate, such as team management or applied creativity. On the other hand, manual and technical trades are gaining value: a plumber or a nurse currently has a more secure future than a junior data analyst.
The ILO insists that the technological revolution will transform occupations, not eliminate them entirely. But transformation comes at a cost: those who do not adapt will be left behind. The data from Microsoft and FGV are a thermometer of what is to come. In Spain, where the youth unemployment rate exceeds 27%, AI could exacerbate the gap between those with experience and those just starting out.
The time to react is now. The coming years will be crucial for workers, especially the younger ones, to acquire skills that complement artificial intelligence rather than compete against it. As McKinsey points out, technology will serve as a driver to boost the productivity of more experienced professionals. The question is whether newcomers will have time to hop on that train before it leaves the station.
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