Navigating the Job Market in the New Era of AI

 Sahana Rodomar, Senior, Walter Payton College Preparatory, Fall 2025

In today’s labor environment, workers face a new and unsettling uncertainty: the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. While AI promises meaningful productivity gains, its accelerating integration into workplaces is also reshaping the labor market in unpredictable ways, potentially leaving people behind.

Growing AI adoption is expected to temporarily increase unemployment. Goldman Sachs notes that “innovation related to artificial intelligence (AI) could displace 6-7% of the US workforce,” placing roles such as computer programmers, accountants, auditors, and customer service representatives at heightened risk (Goldman Sachs, 2025). The International Labour Organization echoes this concern, emphasizing that clerical workers face the greatest likelihood of displacement due to automation, and as a result, women are 2.5x more exposed to automation risks than men (Berg, 2024). With this, the potential for further inequality within the labor force is increasingly present, as these types of routine-focused tasks are also often seen in fields of work requiring less specialized training. This may mean that both lower-skilled workers and women will be disproportionately affected by AI-driven displacement.

So, how do job seekers survive and thrive in this unfamiliar era? Goldman Sachs also points out that this temporary rise in unemployment may be offset by the potential for this technological transition to create new opportunities, stating “Approximately 60% of US workers today are in occupations that didn’t exist in 1940, implying that more than 85% of employment growth since then has been from technology-driven job creation” (Goldman Sachs, 2025). Furthermore, an anonymous source specializing in harnessing AI for business purposes states that “AI is not a means to an end, but rather a tool that can be used to complement, rather than replace, human capabilities.“

This perspective shift is vital. Rather than viewing AI automation as a threat to current jobs, it should be seen as a potential catalyst for an era of innovative and future-oriented careers. Schools and employers alike should prioritize training programs that highlight the safe, ethical, and practical uses of AI in order to respond to this shift in educational demands in the job market. An anonymous recent graduate from DePaul University advises those entering the workforce that “It is more important now than ever to keep your head up and broaden your scope, capturing the increasing need for adaptability in our constantly evolving world.”

Statistics: 

Berg, J. (2024). Minimizing the negative effects of AI-induced technological unemployment. International Labour Organization. https://www.ilo.org/resource/article/minimizing-negative-effects-ai-induced-technological-unemployment

Goldman Sachs. (2025). How will AI affect the global workforce? https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/how-will-ai-affect-the-global-workforce

Interviews: 

Anonymous, recent DePaul graduate 

Anonymous Source, specialist in AI