Catenaa, Tuesday, September 29, 2026- AI adoption could move 11 million US workers into new careers by 2035 while creating more jobs than the population.
According to a McKinsey report, an estimated 11 million workers, or about 6.5% of the current labor force, might have to jump into entirely different occupations by 2035 because of automation and AI adoption.
The report predicts that AI could create more jobs than it kills in the next nine years and may require the largest and most sustained workforce transformation in US history.”
“While social media abounds with dire predictions about the impact of AI on labor, the United States is likely to have more jobs available in 2035 than today, but with fewer workers because the population is aging,” the report said.
McKinsey base estimate is that automation could reduce labor demand by 36 million jobs by 2035, while growth in AI-related fields and the broader economy could generate demand for 40 million jobs during that time.
About 25 million of those 36 million affected workers should be able to stay in their current occupations because growth in their industries should offset automation’s impact, the report said.
“The remaining 11 million may need to switch occupations entirely,” researchers wrote in the report. “The next decade’s challenge is mobility, not scarcity.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), August saw the lowest creation of new jobs since March, while layoffs and voluntary resignations remained low.
Last year saw the lowest new job creation, but employment gains have picked up this year (80,000 per month versus sub-10,000 last year); however, they remain below historical averages.
Sluggish hiring means that workers feel stuck, said Daniel Zhao, Chief Economist at Glassdoor, a job search and online career community site.
“And that means that frustration and anxiety continue to build without a healthy outlet for it,” he told CNN in an interview.
Meanwhile, Glassdoor’s Employee Confidence Index fell to a new record low in September, as workers grew increasingly worried about their job security, economic uncertainty and AI.
Overall consumer sentiment remains in the dumps. Separately on Tuesday, the latest consumer confidence index slumped to its lowest level in 12 years.
According to CNN, the Conference Board’s index, which measures Americans’ assessments of both current and future economic conditions, fell 6.7 points to 81.9 as higher gas prices and uncertainty surrounding the war in Iran and global trade relations weighed on their outlooks.
