Are you worried that artificial intelligence and automation might replace your job?
A new study by Dr. Or Cohen Raviv and Omer Manor reveals that specific groups within Israeli society are at greater risk of job loss due to AI and robotics.
Who Is at Risk?
One in four workers in Israel is employed in a job highly vulnerable to automation, meaning their role could soon be replaced by technology. Nearly a third hold jobs at moderate risk, while just over 40% of the workforce is employed in "protected occupations" positions considered unlikely to be automated soon.
When analyzing different economic sectors, the following industries are identified as high-risk for automation:
- Wholesale trade
- Postal and courier services
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Ground transportation and pipeline transport
- Office administration and support services
- Waste collection and disposal
- Which Groups Are Most Vulnerable?
- Certain minority groups in Israeli society face a disproportionate risk of job loss:
- Traditional and religious Jews
- Arab citizens
- People with disabilities
- Individuals with lower education levels
The most vulnerable group is Arab men, who are heavily employed in blue-collar sectors such as construction, which are highly susceptible to automation.
Interestingly, the study revealed no significant differences in automation risk between men and women, nor between secular and ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.
What Can Be Done?
The article presents urgent policy recommendations that government agencies must adopt to tackle the challenges of the new labor market, which is no longer a distant future; it is already here.
The authors urge immediate intervention from Israel's Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy, and Ministry of Education. A coordinated national task force is essential to manage the transition, retrain workers at high risk, and offer temporary financial protections, such as a universal basic income, to those impacted.
Simultaneously, the Ministry of Education should introduce AI literacy programs starting in elementary school to prepare future workers for a rapidly evolving job market. While Israel has excellent educational initiatives in robotics, computational thinking, and coding for school-age children, these programs are not mandatory.
With additional investment, these existing tools could dramatically raise the level of AI literacy among children from a young age, equipping them for the workforce of tomorrow.