AI job fears vary across regions
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming credit, trading and financial regulation, delivering faster decisions and deeper market insight while also raising concerns about the future of human employment.
A new global survey shows that although fears of AI?driven job losses are rising, more people worldwide remain unconcerned about being replaced by machines. Attitudes towards AI vary across regions, shaped by differences in awareness, digital access, education and workforce skills needed to adapt to an automated economy.
In Pakistan, the survey reflects mixed attitudes towards AI?related job displacement. About 6% of respondents said they were "very worried" about AI replacing their jobs, while 7% were "somewhat worried". Meanwhile, 2% said they were "not worried" and 8% "not worried at all". The survey also found that 52% of respondents were "not doing paid work", highlighting the country's broader labour market realities and workforce participation challenges. Interestingly, nearly 26% could not answer the question or chose not to respond.
The findings were released in the Gallup International Association End?of?Year (EOY) Survey 2025, the world's longest?running global public opinion study. Conducted annually since 1977, it surveyed more than 60,000 respondents across 61 countries between October 2025 and January 2026.
According to the survey, 36% of respondents said they were worried (very or somewhat) that AI could replace their jobs, while 46% said they were not worried. Another 14% were not part of the workforce. The global net score stood at minus nine, showing that the unconcerned outnumbered those who expressed concern.
"Artificial intelligence should not be viewed as a replacement for human potential, but as a multiplier of human capability. Nations that invest in skills, adaptability and innovation will not fear AI – they will lead because of it," Si Global CEO Dr Noman Ahmed Said told The Express Tribune when asked for his assessment.
For Pakistan, the discussion is more critical because we are a manpower?rich country with a large youth population as a key strategic asset. AI tools can improve their efficiency, enabling skilled professionals to compete globally with larger international teams, he said. "The real question is not whether AI will replace jobs, but whether societies and governments can prepare people for the jobs it will create. For countries like Pakistan, delayed investment in digital literacy, modern education and technical skills could widen the gap between skilled and unskilled workers," he added.
The global AI race is ultimately about human adaptability as much as technology. Even globally, the debate should not be framed as "humans versus AI". History shows that technology changes jobs more often than it completely eliminates work. The banking sector did not disappear because of ATMs, nor did e?commerce end retail employment entirely. Instead, roles evolved. The same is likely with AI. New opportunities in data analysis, AI governance, cybersecurity, prompt engineering, digital marketing and human?centred services are already emerging, Dr Said noted.
The study showed sharp differences across countries. Concern over AI?driven job losses was highest in emerging economies, led by the Philippines (+61), followed by India (+40), Indonesia (+36), Peru (+33) and Ecuador (+25). Advanced economies recorded the lowest concern levels: Estonia (-45), Sweden (-44), Norway (-43), Denmark (-42) and Kazakhstan (-40) ranked among the least worried countries.
At the regional level, Southeast Asia (+27) and South Asia (+22) showed the highest concern over AI's impact on jobs, while Western Europe (-22) and West Asia (-26) recorded lower concern levels. The survey also found an income divide: low?income economies showed net concern (+7), middle?income economies were broadly neutral (0), and high?income economies displayed lower concern (-20).
The findings suggest fears about AI are linked to economic vulnerability, with financially insecure groups more likely to see it as a job threat. Concern is slightly higher among lower?educated individuals (+1) than higher?educated ones (-14), while women and younger respondents show somewhat greater concern than men and older age groups.
The report concluded that concerns over AI are concentrated among populations with greater economic uncertainty and limited access to education and financial resources, with emerging economies and lower?income groups more anxious about its impact on jobs than wealthier, advanced economies.
The survey interviewed 60,458 adults across 61 countries, with nationally representative samples used in 57 countries and urban?only samples in four. About 1,000 respondents were surveyed per country on average. Regarding methodology, 11 countries used computer?assisted telephone interviews (CATI), 37 used computer?assisted web interviews (CAWI), and 13 conducted face?to?face interviews. Sampling methods included random probability sampling in 26 countries, quota sampling in 33 countries, and non?probability sampling in two countries.
Pakistan still has a window of opportunity. With the right policies, industry?academia collaboration and investment in youth training, AI can become a catalyst for economic growth rather than a source of unemployment anxiety, Said advised.