Karen Maguire
Head of Division, Local Employment and Economic Development
Generative artificial intelligence is changing the way we work In Ireland and beyond — but it will hit cities differently from rural areas. How can Ireland prepare workers in all communities for this new stage of the digital transition?
Unlike prior forms of automation, generative AI can do cognitive, creative and non-routine tasks. This means it will mainly affect high-skilled jobs and workers in urban areas.
Impact in different places across Ireland
Generative AI is likely to have a big impact on work in Ireland. A new OECD Report ‘Job Creation and Local Economic Development 2024: The Geography of Generative AI’ finds that 38% of jobs in Ireland’s cities and 25% of jobs in Ireland’s rural areas are exposed to generative AI. If some of these current technologies were better integrated into other software and firm practices, those shares could jump significantly in the near term.
Cities like Dublin and Cork will therefore be more affected, given their large ICT (information and communications technology), pharmaceutical and financial industries. This is a reversal of prior trends of automation where the most ‘exposed’ were typically men in low-skilled jobs in peri-urban and rural areas.
As impacted jobs are concentrated in
cities, the use of generative AI could
widen the digital divide, leaving
towns and rural areas further behind.
Different degrees of job exposure to AI depending on where you live
What does ‘exposure’ to generative AI mean? This remains an open question. It may mean that jobs could be augmented, enabling workers to be more productive, focus on more important tasks and hopefully earn more. In other cases, there may be jobs that are automated, but typically, generative AI replaces only some tasks in a given job. It also could help some workers level up, giving more opportunities to workers who have a disadvantage in the labour market.
Overall, it is expected that generative AI will improve productivity and economic growth. However, as impacted jobs are concentrated in cities, the use of generative AI could widen the digital divide, leaving towns and rural areas further behind.
How can Ireland help generative AI lead to better jobs in all communities?
National, regional and local governments can partner with employers, especially SMEs, to help businesses with the uptake of generative AI and train workers in relevant skills. The ‘AIT4Local SMEs’ programme in San Sebastian (Spain) is one example. VDAB, the public employment service of Flanders (Belgium), has an AI-powered job-matching tool to help workers more easily find jobs.
A programme in Quebec (Canada) is helping female insurance workers who may experience AI-related job dislocation to reskill to transition to new roles. Social partners can also contribute by helping with the adoption in ways that support worker rights and job quality.
Generative AI offers huge potential for Ireland, but policy action needs to accompany these technologies to reap the benefits for all people and places.
