OECD report warns AI skills gaps could widen labour inequalities
AI skills remain rare, with workers holding advanced AI capabilities making up about 1 percent of the workforce.
The OECD has warned that stronger skills policies will be needed to prevent AI from widening labour-market inequalities.
In its policy paper Skills in the AI age, the organisation says AI can boost productivity, support economic growth and create new opportunities. Still, it may also deepen existing gaps if workers and firms are not prepared for the transition.
AI adoption by firms has accelerated rapidly in OECD countries, rising from around 7% to 20% of businesses between 2021 and 2025.
The OECD says the increase has been driven partly by the spread of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot.
Adoption remains uneven. Larger firms and start-ups are more likely to use AI, while small and medium-sized enterprises face barriers including costs, infrastructure gaps and shortages of skilled workers.
The paper also cautions that exposure to AI does not automatically mean a job is likely to disappear.
High-skill occupations such as managers, professionals and engineers are among the most exposed to AI, but are less likely to be automated because they rely heavily on non-routine cognitive and social skills.
Low- and middle-skill roles involving routine manual or cognitive tasks face higher automation risks.
The OECD says workers will need a mix of foundational skills, ICT skills and complementary skills such as critical thinking, creativity and collaboration.
Advanced AI skills, including machine learning and data science, remain scarce, with workers possessing such skills accounting for around 1% of the workforce.
The organisation calls for stronger education and training systems, wider lifelong learning, AI literacy for all workers, employer-led training and better coordination between governments, industry and education providers.
Why does it matter?
The OECD report frames AI skills as a core labour-market issue, not only a technology-sector concern. If training systems do not adapt, AI adoption could widen gaps between large firms and SMEs, between high- and low-skilled workers, and between regions with different levels of digital capacity. The report also makes an important distinction for policy: jobs highly exposed to AI are not necessarily the jobs most likely to disappear, meaning governments need more targeted approaches to reskilling, worker support and AI literacy.
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