Forecast for 15 years: Nahles: 800,000 jobs will be lost due to AI

Basically, no one is immune anymore, says Andrea Nahles, with a view to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs due to the expansion of artificial intelligence. Nevertheless, some sectors will be hit harder than others.

According to the head of the Federal Employment Agency, Andrea Nahles, around 800,000 jobs will be lost in Germany in the next 15 years due to artificial intelligence. Many new jobs would also be created, Nahles told the “Handelsblatt”. She would still like to see more investments in AI in Germany - “but only if they bring productivity”.

Job cuts due to AI are hitting some industries harder, such as service providers for companies or analytical jobs in insurance companies and banks, Nahles continued. On the other hand, professions that can use less AI, such as crafts, proved to be quite robust. “Even semi-skilled and unskilled people still have opportunities because it is sometimes not worth replacing them with AI.” But the same applies here: In principle, no one is immune anymore.

Academics are currently taking longer to start their careers and may not get their dream job. But they still have far better chances than everyone else, Nahles told the “Handelsblatt”. The weak economy plays a particularly important role here.

The economic downturn is also affecting the training market nationwide, the BA boss continued. The number of apprenticeships has been falling for three years. This year there are six percent fewer - 31,000 jobs.

If the economy recovers, it will take six months before it reaches the labor market. “First, companies wait for more orders and increase their overtime accounts,” said Nahles. Things are only getting a little better in construction, as the federal government's infrastructure programs seem to be arriving.

“For the time being,” she said, unemployment worries her more than the skills shortage. In five years there will “definitely” be a shortage of skilled workers. Due to demographics, the German labor market is losing around 500,000 net workers per year. The net immigration of young people from Europe is currently lower than it has been for a long time. "That's why we also have to attract skilled workers from countries outside the EU."