AI Job Risk in United Kingdom

Average generative-AI exposure of the workforce

0.325

ILO score (0–1). Rank 4 of 20 countries.

People in employment, 2025

33,760,000

ILO modelled estimate

What people in United Kingdom work as

Share of employment in each ISCO-08 major occupation group, and the group's average generative-AI exposure (ILO score, 0–1). The country figure above is the employment-weighted average of the exposure column.

Occupation group	Share of employment	Exposure (ILO, 0–1)
Professionals	25.4%	0.39
Managers	16.1%	0.36
Service and sales workers	14.8%	0.26
Technicians and associate professionals	14.2%	0.35
Skilled agricultural workers and elementary occupations	10.1%	0.15
Clerical support workers	8.8%	0.53
Craft and related trades workers	6.3%	0.17
Plant and machine operators, and assemblers	4.3%	0.20

Method: each country's employment by ISCO-08 major occupation group (ILOSTAT, ILO modelled estimates) multiplied by the average ILO exposure score of the occupations in that group (ILO Working Paper 140), then added up. The ILO publishes skilled agricultural workers and elementary occupations as one group and leaves out the armed forces. The figure uses the ILO's 0–1 scale, not the 0–100 occupation index used elsewhere on this site, and it treats an occupation as equally exposed in every country.

How to read this page in practice

The notes below explain how to read the country figure, what kind of occupation mix raises or lowers it, and what this comparison can and cannot tell you.

How to Read This Country

The UK is best read by separating the financial and professional services core from the public and creative sectors around it. Legal drafting, audit support, insurance processing, and standardized financial analysis sit in the exposed layer, since the City of London runs on exactly the kind of structured, precedent-based document work that generative tools handle well. Frontline NHS care, regulated legal advice, teaching, and creative direction sit in the more durable layer, where statutory accountability, direct patient contact, or original creative judgment keep human involvement central even as supporting tasks get faster.

What drives the figure

Employment concentrates in financial services, professional and business services, healthcare and social care, education, and a creative and media sector that is large relative to the size of the economy. AI pressure is strongest in back-office banking, insurance claims handling, paralegal work, accounting, and standardized market research, all clustered around London and other financial centers. It moves more slowly through NHS nursing and clinical care, skilled trades, and creative roles such as directing, writing, and design, where professional regulation, patient safety obligations, and the premium on original creative work limit how far automation can go.

What Holds Up Better

The most durable work combines regulatory accountability with human judgment: solicitors and barristers bound by professional conduct rules, NHS clinicians accountable for patient outcomes, and creative professionals whose value lies in original work rather than reproducible output. Britain's strong tradition of professional self-regulation across law, medicine, and accountancy also means licensing bodies, not just employers, control how quickly AI tools can substitute for supervised human sign-off, keeping adoption gradual even where the underlying tasks are technically automatable.

What This Page Does Not Claim

A UK-wide score compresses a sharp divide between London's finance and professional-services economy and the rest of the country, where manufacturing, retail, and public-sector employment dominate and AI exposure looks quite different. It also cannot separate roles where AI speeds up drafting and analysis from roles where statutory and professional accountability still requires a named, liable human. Read the score alongside sector concentration and regional variation, not as one uniform verdict.

Jobs Most At Risk from AI

This table is a current snapshot of the jobs that appear on the higher-risk side within this country profile. It is useful as a directional comparison, not as a permanent national ranking. Both lists only include jobs in the three occupation groups that employ the most people in United Kingdom, ordered by exposure index.

Rank	Job	Occupation group	Generative-AI exposure
1	Interpreter	Professionals	98
2	Translator	Professionals	98
3	Web Developer	Professionals	97
4	Technical Writer	Professionals	96
5	Programmer	Professionals	96
6	Content Writer	Professionals	95
7	Copywriter	Professionals	95
8	Data Analyst	Professionals	95
9	Data Scientist	Professionals	95
10	Software Tester	Professionals	95
11	Advertising Specialist	Professionals	94
12	Market Research Analyst	Professionals	94
13	Marketing Specialist	Professionals	94
14	SEO Specialist	Professionals	94
15	Social Media Manager	Professionals	94
16	Editor	Professionals	94
17	Telemarketer	Service and sales workers	93
18	Journalist	Professionals	93
19	Database Administrator	Professionals	92
20	Economist	Professionals	92

Jobs Safest from AI

This table shows the jobs that currently appear on the lower-risk side within this country profile. Read it as a structural comparison of work, not as a guarantee that these roles will stay unchanged.

Rank	Job	Occupation group	Generative-AI exposure
1	Firefighter	Service and sales workers	25
2	Dentist	Professionals	33
3	Security Guard	Service and sales workers	39
4	Barista	Service and sales workers	39
5	Surgeon	Professionals	39
6	Bartender	Service and sales workers	43
7	Cook	Service and sales workers	44
8	Veterinarian	Professionals	47
9	Police Officer	Service and sales workers	47
10	Teaching Assistant	Service and sales workers	48

Sources

Exposure index calculated by ai-job-risk.net from the datasets below (data as of October 15, 2026). US labour figures are from the BLS, unchanged.

The publishers did not prepare, review or endorse this site. Full citations, licences and method

Frequently asked questions

Q.Which jobs are most at risk from AI in United Kingdom?

Most exposed: Interpreter, Translator, Web Developer. Employment concentrates in financial services, professional and business services, healthcare and social care, education, and a creative and media sector that is large relative to the size of the economy. AI pressure is strongest in back-office banking, insurance claims handling, paralegal work, accounting, and standardized market research, all clustered around London and other financial centers.

Q.Which jobs are safest from AI in United Kingdom?

Least exposed: Firefighter, Dentist, Security Guard. The most durable work combines regulatory accountability with human judgment: solicitors and barristers bound by professional conduct rules, NHS clinicians accountable for patient outcomes, and creative professionals whose value lies in original work rather than reproducible output. Britain's strong tradition of professional self-regulation across law, medicine, and accountancy also means licensing bodies, not just employers, control how quickly AI tools can substitute for supervised human sign-off, keeping adoption gradual even where the underlying tasks are technically automatable.

Q.How exposed is United Kingdom to AI automation?

The UK is best read by separating the financial and professional services core from the public and creative sectors around it. Legal drafting, audit support, insurance processing, and standardized financial analysis sit in the exposed layer, since the City of London runs on exactly the kind of structured, precedent-based document work that generative tools handle well. Frontline NHS care, regulated legal advice, teaching, and creative direction sit in the more durable layer, where statutory accountability, direct patient contact, or original creative judgment keep human involvement central even as supporting tasks get faster.

Q.Does high exposure mean jobs will disappear in United Kingdom?

A UK-wide score compresses a sharp divide between London's finance and professional-services economy and the rest of the country, where manufacturing, retail, and public-sector employment dominate and AI exposure looks quite different. It also cannot separate roles where AI speeds up drafting and analysis from roles where statutory and professional accountability still requires a named, liable human. Read the score alongside sector concentration and regional variation, not as one uniform verdict.