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AI Job Risk

Occupation baseline · Research consensus

Will AI replace Economists?

Transitioning

Baseline AI displacement risk for Economists, aggregated from 7 research sources.

What this score means

Economists sits in the middle of the exposure range for Research & Science. Routine parts of the job are starting to automate, but much of it still depends on judgment, relationships, and context that today's models handle poorly. At 49 out of 100 it scores 10 points above the Research & Science average of 39. Across the 7 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 17 to 63, so the score is a weighted consensus rather than any single figure.

The number is a consensus estimate for the typical version of the role, built from published academic and industry research scored occupation by occupation. It is not a prediction about any individual. How scoring works

What this job actually involves

Exposure follows the work itself rather than the job title, so it is worth seeing what the role is made of. These are the tasks O*NET records for Economists, most central first, showing 12 of 14.

  • 01Study economic and statistical data in area of specialization, such as finance, labor, or agriculture.
  • 02Compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical techniques.
  • 03Study the socioeconomic impacts of new public policies, such as proposed legislation, taxes, services, and regulations.
  • 04Explain economic impact of policies to the public.
  • 05Review documents written by others.
  • 06Provide advice and consultation on economic relationships to businesses, public and private agencies, and other employers.
  • 07Formulate recommendations, policies, or plans to solve economic problems or to interpret markets.
  • 08Supervise research projects and students' study projects.
  • 09Conduct research on economic issues, and disseminate research findings through technical reports or scientific articles in journals.
  • 10Develop economic guidelines and standards, and prepare points of view used in forecasting trends and formulating economic policy.
  • 11Teach theories, principles, and methods of economics.
  • 12Testify at regulatory or legislative hearings concerning the estimated effects of changes in legislation or public policy, and present recommendations based on cost-benefit analyses.

Task statements from O*NET by the National Center for O*NET Development, used under CC BY 4.0. The tasks are descriptive; the exposure score above is ours.

The research behind this score

This baseline aggregates 7 research sources that scored Economists for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

Common questions

How likely is AI to replace Economists?
Published research puts Economists at 49 out of 100 for AI displacement risk, in the transitioning band. The number is a weighted consensus of 7 research sources and describes the typical version of the role, not any individual.
Do researchers agree on the risk for Economists?
Only partly. Individual estimates for Economists run from 17 to 63 out of 100 across the 7 sources behind this score, so the single number smooths over real disagreement. More recent and higher confidence studies carry more weight in it.
Which research & science roles face similar AI exposure?
The closest published research & science roles to Economists by score are Biological Scientists, All Other (50/100), Urban and Regional Planners (50/100), and Industrial-Organizational Psychologists (47/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Also covers

Agricultural Economist · Business Economist · Consultant Economist · Econometrician · Economic Advisor · Economic Analyst · Economic Consultant · Economic Developer and related titles

Estimated displacement window

The dated estimate for this role is included in the full personalised report.

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Informational guidance based on published research, not professional career or financial advice. Scores update as new research is ingested.