There has been considerable debate over the last year on who will be the winners and losers in the much-vaunted AI revolution. New data suggests the losers may be women. International data published in March has found that female-dominated occupations are almost twice as likely to face disruption from generative AI as male-dominated ones. Nearly a third of roles where women predominate are now considered significantly exposed, against 16 per cent of jobs where men are in the majority. At the highest-risk end, the gap widens further still.
The numbers reflect deep-seated and long-term structural realities in the modern labour market. Women have long been concentrated in clerical and administrative roles whose tasks are routine, codifiable – precisely the kind of work at which AI excels. Roles such as receptionist are, or were, a reliable pathway into stable employment for millions of workers, particularly older women with narrower formal qualifications and limited financial buffers. As employers invest in AI tools capable of scheduling, notetaking and document preparation, that pathway is likely to narrow.
Ireland may be particularly exposed. By November last year, more than one in nine job postings here referenced AI-related terms, roughly three times the European average. Some of this can be attributed to a desire to seem abreast of new technology, but some reflects real strategic priorities.
Irish youth unemployment has been climbing since late 2024, driven largely by a contraction in entry-level hiring as firms pull back on recruitment. Across the EU, where women already earn around 12 per cent less than men and participate in the workforce at a rate 10 points lower, the concern is that AI will exacerbate already existing disadvantages. McKinsey data shows women’s share of European tech roles has already fallen three percentage points since 2023.
RM Block
Choices being made now about training, recruitment and labour market policy will determine whether or not these warning signs turn into a crisis.
