Goldman Sachs Report Links AI Adoption to Global Tech Hiring Headwinds

Artificial intelligence adoption has reached 15 to 20 percent across major developed economies, a shift that is increasingly influencing corporate hiring strategies in technology and service sectors. According to a new report from Goldman Sachs Research, France, the United States, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom lead this adoption trend, while major emerging markets currently report adoption rates between 10 and 15 percent.

The research indicates that industries with high exposure to automation began experiencing a slowdown in job openings as early as the second half of 2022. This trend is particularly evident in Germany, Australia, and the United States. Employment growth has decelerated notably in information and communication services, software publishing, advertising, and call center operations. The report suggests that the availability of generative AI tools has prompted companies in these highly exposed sectors to re-evaluate their workforce requirements.

While hiring headwinds appear to be a global phenomenon within the technology sector, the negative impacts are most pronounced in the United States. In the US, headcount across information and communication services has fallen below its long-run trend. Specialized subsectors have seen even sharper contractions; call center employment in the US is 39 percent below trend, with Canada and Germany recording declines of 33 percent and 27 percent, respectively. In contrast, employment levels in similar sectors across other developed economies have generally remained closer to or above historical trends.

Despite the concentrated slowdown in specific tech-intensive fields, the report notes that economy-wide hiring remains relatively stable. The findings suggest that AI-related labor market pressures are currently confined to a narrow set of industries and specific worker groups. Junior-level positions appear to face the most significant obstacles, as firms increasingly integrate automated solutions into entry-level workflows. Goldman Sachs estimates that for every 10 percent of occupational exposure to AI, there is a corresponding 0.1 percentage point reduction in annual headcount growth in the US, France, and Canada.