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Mon, 28 Sep 2026

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 UK needs plan in case of 'unprecedented' AI job losses, says minister

Kanishka Narayan says one of his top priorities is to have a plan in place if job losses are as bad as some fear.
Industry's current level of AI adoption is relatively low, but experts warn it could still have a significant impact on the labor market. IPPR's Carsten Jung states that around 11% of UK jobs are "highly exposed" to being replaced by AI chatbots, mainly in secretarial and administrative occupations. However, with the rise of more sophisticated agentic AI, this proportion could increase to about 60% of tasks across the UK economy. Jung suggests that women are 40% more exposed than men to the threat of AI due to their higher proportion of service jobs. Narayan says there is currently no evidence of an overall reduction in jobs as a result of AI, but acknowledges that the impact might have been underestimated due to "silent adoption" by workers. The government's priority is to prepare contingency plans for worst-case scenarios and provide transparency when AI technology is adopted. A "pandemic preparedness" report on AI labor market disruption is being worked on by the IPPR think tank, with Jung warning that massive job losses could be a reality if not addressed. Jung suggests bringing in measures to "slow down the transition slightly" and redesign tax structures to make it more attractive to hold onto workers rather than automating them.