Man vs. Machine
The future of work in the age of AI
Share of potentially automatable working hours by 2030
~30%
(Source: McKinsey Global Institute)
Automation through artificial intelligence is no longer a distant vision of the future, but a driving force fundamentally reshaping our world of work. This transformation poses both risks to existing professions and enormous opportunities for the creation of new fields of work. A data-driven analysis helps identify resilient and vulnerable sectors.
Automation risk by economic sector
The analysis reveals significant differences in automation potential. While the secondary sector (industry, manufacturing) faces the highest risk due to repetitive, physical activities, sectors based on complex knowledge work and social interactions (Quaternary/Quinary) are significantly more resilient.
Key insight:
The more a job relies on empathy, creativity, critical thinking and complex problem solving, the lower the likelihood of complete automation.
Future opportunities vs. AI risk: A comparison of selected industries
A direct comparison clarifies which industries will remain dependent on human skills in the long term and where AI will play a transformative, sometimes even replacing, role. Future-proof sectors are characterized by high human relevance and a comparatively low risk of automation.
Sectors in Transition: A Detailed Overview
❤️ Future sectors
These industries will continue to require human expertise, empathy and creativity in the future.
- Health & Care: Complex diagnoses, empathy in patient care, and therapeutic skills are difficult to automate.
- Education & Upbringing: Pedagogical skills, mentoring, and the promotion of social-emotional skills remain human domains.
- Green technologies: Research, innovation, and the implementation of complex, sustainable systems require human ingenuity.
- Crafts: Individual problem-solving, creativity, and manual fine motor skills in non-standardized tasks are difficult to replace.
- Creative industries: True originality, curatorial activities, and the creation of emotional experiences remain at the core of human work.
⚙️ Risk sectors
In these areas, repetitive and standardized tasks are likely to be automated.
- Office & Administration (70-80%): Data entry, scheduling, and standard correspondence are increasingly being taken over by AI assistants.
- Production (60-75%): Assembly activities, quality control of simple products and packaging are replaced by robots.
- Transport & Logistics (55-70%): Autonomous driving (trucks), warehouse management and sorting are heavily affected by automation.
- Retail (50-65%): Cashier activities (self-checkout), simple inventory, and standardized customer inquiries are automated.
The transformation of tasks
The change affects individual activities rather than entire professions. The focus is shifting from repetitive, manual tasks to those that require social intelligence, critical thinking, and creativity. This is creating new roles such as AI trainers, ethics officers, and automation specialists.
Matrix of the future of work
| Sector/Industry | Future opportunity | AI risk | probability | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary (agriculture) | Medium | High | ~60% | Automated harvesting, drone monitoring. Humans remain for management. |
| Secondary (production) | Low-Medium | Very high | ~75% | Robotics replaces manual, repetitive work. New jobs in maintenance and control. |
| Tertiary (administration) | Low | Very high | ~80% | RPA and AI take over data processing, accounting, and customer service. |
| Tertiary (trade) | Medium | High | ~65% | Automated checkouts, logistics. Consulting and the experience remain human. |
| Quaternary (formation) | Very high | Low | <20% | AI as a tool, but teaching requires empathy, pedagogy (OECD). |
| Quinary (Health/Care) | Very high | Low-Medium | ~25% | AI supports diagnostics, but care and therapy remain human (WEF). |
| Quinary (creative industries) | High | Medium | ~35% | AI as co-pilot for ideas, but human curation & originality crucial. |