The AI Workforce Reckoning (How Will AI Affect the Global Workforce?)

Goldman Sachs Research released a new analysis in August 2025 examining AI’s impact on global employment, finding that AI-related innovation will cause near-term job displacement while simultaneously creating new opportunities elsewhere. The research suggests economists expect generative AI to lift labor productivity by approximately 15% at full adoption while nudging unemployment up by about 0.5 percentage points.

Behind the news:

This latest Goldman research builds on their earlier 2023 analysis that predicted generative AI could raise global GDP by 7%. The updated findings align with broader industry research from McKinsey suggesting that by 2030, activities accounting for up to 30% of hours currently worked across the US economy could be automated. However, Goldman’s research takes a more nuanced view than some predictions of mass unemployment, emphasizing historical patterns where new opportunities in emerging sectors have ultimately offset jobs displaced by automation.

The Goldman findings suggest we’re entering a transition period rather than facing an employment apocalypse.

Link to study

Pascal Finette @radical