65 percent of Belgian workers have a job where they are heavily exposed to AI, which will impact the way they work in the future.

ING conducted a consumer research survey among Belgians on the impact of AI on the labor market. It showed that 42 percent of Belgians assume that AI will cost more jobs than it will create. In addition, a large proportion of respondents believe that AI will have an impact on the way they work, especially on repetitive tasks. Nevertheless, 31 percent of Belgians expect positive effects on Belgian growth in the next five years.

Division among the Belgians

Opinions about AI are divided, as the ING survey showed. The statements “AI is a threat to society” and “AI is an opportunity for society” received almost equal support. When asked about the influence of AI on the job market, the majority of those surveyed tended to give a rather pessimistic assessment.

42 percent of Belgians assume that the use of AI will cost more jobs than it creates in the next five years. This applies to all ages, genders and professions. When asked whether AI will have an impact on their own job, the vast majority of respondents say that it will not affect them. Only 3 percent of those surveyed are afraid for their own job.

Way of working

Most Belgians are not too worried about their own jobs, but are largely convinced that AI will have an impact on the way they work in the future. 41 percent of respondents believe that AI will primarily take over repetitive and tedious tasks, while only 18 percent expect AI to take on the role of decision-makers.

Exposure AI

Although 65 percent of jobs are heavily impacted by AI, this does not mean that this percentage of workers will lose their jobs. The survey shows that administrative tasks in particular have high exposure with lower complementarity.

“Implementation processes rarely take place overnight, so the transformation of workplaces will occur gradually. At the same time, demand will continue to evolve and new needs and new professions are likely to emerge. We also need to take into account changes in labor supply. “With an aging population, AI will not lead to a significant increase in unemployment in Belgium,” said Charlotte de Montpellier, senior economist at ING Belgium.

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