A landmark federal government report has for the first time examined how artificial intelligence is reshaping the Australian workforce, identifying desk-based roles such as accountants, receptionists and marketing professionals as the most exposed to disruption, while tradespeople and care workers remain on solid ground.
The report analysed four years of jobs data since the emergence of ChatGPT and generative AI tools in 2022, finding that while Australia's overall employment market has remained resilient, there are clear dividing lines forming between roles that are vulnerable to AI and those that are not.
Which Jobs Face the Greatest Risk From AI Disruption?
According to the report's findings, workers in highly exposed roles tend to be those in office and knowledge-based professions. Accountants, receptionists and marketing workers are among those most at risk as generative AI tools become increasingly capable of performing cognitive and administrative tasks.
By contrast, hands-on jobs requiring physical presence — including plumbers, electricians, and child and aged care workers — are considered the least exposed and are best placed to weather the technological shift.
The report also revealed a notable gender dimension to AI exposure. Workers in the most at-risk roles are more likely to be women and hold university degrees, while men make up approximately 70 per cent of the workforce in the jobs considered safest from AI disruption — roles that also tend to attract fewer tertiary-qualified workers.
Employment Growth Has Held Up — But Gaps Are Emerging
Despite the concerns surrounding AI's potential to replace workers, the report found no significant impact on overall employment growth and no major structural shifts in the types of jobs Australians are holding.
However, a divergence is beginning to appear. Jobs deemed most exposed to AI recorded employment growth of 5.6 per cent between November 2022 and February 2026, compared with 9.5 per cent growth for roles considered least exposed — a gap that suggests the technology may already be applying quiet pressure to certain sectors.
Not all highly exposed roles are struggling, though. Software developer employment bucked the trend entirely, surging by 25 per cent over the same period, indicating that some technology-adjacent roles are actually benefiting from the AI boom rather than being threatened by it.
The report's chief economist and author noted that Australia's job market resilience should not be dismissed as simply a lag in AI adoption. "Australia is actually one of the world's biggest users of AI," he said, adding that even in the United States — considered the global frontier on this issue — the overall jobs market continues to perform reasonably well.
He also pointed to continued employment growth among young people, a cohort widely considered among the most exposed to AI disruption, as further evidence of the market's underlying strength.
Government Plans Ongoing Monitoring as AI Landscape Evolves
Federal Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth welcomed the findings as encouraging, describing the absence of major workforce disruption as good news for Australian workers.
"The good news is, we're not seeing a big shift or disruption," Rishworth said, while flagging that the government intends to use the report as a baseline for continued monitoring.
"Now we've established this baseline framework, we certainly want to do ongoing reporting on this," she said.
The commitment to further reporting signals that Canberra is keeping a close eye on a rapidly shifting landscape. While the current data offers reassurance, the pace at which generative AI tools are advancing means the picture could look markedly different within a few years — making the government's pledge to track ongoing changes a critical one for workers in exposed industries.
For now, Australia's jobs market appears to be absorbing the rise of AI without major upheaval — but the emerging gap in employment growth between exposed and sheltered roles suggests that complacency would be premature.
