Software programmers, accountants, receptionists, and advertising and marketing professionals are among the occupations most exposed to being replaced by artificial intelligence, according to a first-of-its-kind national report by the Australian government. The report, titled AI and Employment in Australia, draws on data from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) and warns that telemarketers, call centre workers, clerks, and retail managers also face high exposure.
Women and university graduates face higher risk
People in the most exposed occupations are more likely to be women and have university qualifications, the report found. In contrast, those in the least exposed roles—such as tradespeople, aged care workers, truck drivers, cleaners, and gardeners—tend to have the lowest level of university qualifications and the highest level of vocational training.
Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth said: “Artificial intelligence could yet reshape the jobs market in Australia, but this report shows labour market conditions remain strong by historical standards, youth outcomes have mostly held up, and occupational reshuffling has not accelerated.” She added that the government is determined to ensure AI is harnessed to create good jobs, not threaten them.
Routine cognitive jobs most vulnerable
The report classifies the highest-risk roles as “routine cognitive jobs,” whose tasks are most able to be automated by generative AI. Telemarketers and call centre workers are among those most exposed, while manual jobs like carers, tradespeople, and forklift drivers have the lowest exposure.
The report also quotes Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, who claimed AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs, increasing unemployment to 10%–20% in the next one to five years. Anthropic’s economic analysis places call centre workers, sales representatives, and ICT technicians in the top five most-exposed roles.
Employment growth slower in exposed roles
While the report found no evidence of broad labour market upheaval driven by AI, it noted that occupations more exposed to potential automation are growing more slowly. Between late 2022 and early 2026, employment in the least-exposed jobs grew by 9.5%, compared to only 5.6% in the most-exposed roles. “We find a small negative relationship between AI exposure and employment growth,” the report stated.
Evidence from the US suggests firms are replacing graduate intakes with AI, but the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations said: “We do not see this in the Australian data.”
Government under pressure on AI regulation
The Albanese government is expected to unveil updated plans next week on regulating AI across industry, the economy, and safety guardrails. Issues include copyright protection for media and creatives, privacy, health, trust and safety, and workplace relations. Assistant Minister for Technology Andrew Charlton conceded in a speech on Tuesday that public trust in AI is low and that the government needs to better regulate the space.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to make a major speech next week outlining the government’s AI plans. When asked about potential copyright changes, he said journalists “should be paid for your work if someone is using that to gain profit.” He emphasised that his government supports people having control over their creations and being properly compensated for their use.
