By Jo Masters
Publication Date: 2025-11-18 08:30:00
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This seems like a big impact, but three decades of substitution have already transformed our workforce – routine jobs (those most at risk of being replaced by technology) have declined from 60 percent of the workforce in 1990 to 45 percent today. As a result, we have a cognitively stressed, occupationally biased workforce that will be exposed to AI expansion.
Australia is now full of a skilled, intelligent workforce who will benefit from the AI revolution, which is introducing technologies that help people work smarter and faster.
In fact, there is a historical precedent for this. We know from previous technology revolutions that augmentation leads to increases in productivity, not unemployment. While AI will reduce headcount, the impact is likely to be slower than a full job replacement.
So we expect adaptation rather than devastation. Previous waves of technology (computers, Internet, cell phones) have created new roles while simultaneously changing existing ones. For example,…
