14 August 2025
A landmark whole-of-labour-market study from Jobs and Skills Australia has found generative artificial intelligence is likely to augment the way that we work rather than replace jobs through automation.
The Generative AI Capacity Study comes at a critical early point in our national transition to an economy both enabled and augmented by generative AI.
To this point, the early adoption of artificial intelligence has varied widely across businesses, industries and occupations.
A big part of the early story has been individual workers experimenting with the technology, and how to use it to augment their work.
Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia, Professor Barney Glover, said the technology has the capacity to augment a wide variety of tasks and most occupations, with both opportunities and challenges.
“There is a tremendous opportunity for Australia and our workforce to boost our productivity and create new ways of working,” Professor Glover said.
“As a nation, we need to be conscious that generative artificial intelligence has the potential to augment the work we do, as well as to automate some tasks. This has the potential to displace people in some jobs, particularly administrative and clerical roles.
“As with other technological change, the skills system will play an important role in equipping people to be able to transition into new roles.
“The impact of artificial intelligence is going to differ across geographical location, industry and occupation but it will also change over time as emergent technologies further change the way we work.
“While we haven’t yet seen an impact on entry-level roles in Australia, it will be important that the labour market continues to provide these valuable formative roles, which provide foundational experiences in their careers.
“Adaptability will be critical for Australia to realise the potential benefits from AI, which will see new jobs emerge and existing jobs change.
“Ensuring that we have the right digital and AI skills for a modern labour market will be essential, and our research shows that the complementary human skills are increasingly in demand.”
The report contains 10 recommendations for the labour market and skills system to help Australia successfully transition into the next digital age, to best leverage the opportunities and manage the challenges.
“Australia is at the beginning of an exciting evolution, but we must ensure we bring our people with us, through upskilling, training and capacity building,” Professor Glover said.
The study is available on the JSA website: https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/studies/generative-artificial-intelligence-capacity-study
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