\u201cThat doesn\u2019t straightforwardly mean that they are most likely to be fully displaced, because humans adapt, but AI will shape the ways these workers work and the availability of employment.\u201d<\/p>\n
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By contrast, jobs requiring physical labour, machine operation, or context-specific manual skills rank lowest in AI applicability. This includes dredge operators, bridge and lock tenders, water treatment plant operators, logging equipment operators, nursing assistants and massage therapists. For many of these \u201clowest risk\u201d jobs, the reported AI<\/a> applicability is 0.00 (i.e. rounding to 0%) or extremely close to zero. Embalmers and dishwashers are also, it seems, pretty safe.<\/p>\n So, should every translator in the country retrain in floor sanding?<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n Not necessarily, says Rogoyski. The study is \u201cvery static in their treatment of human skills\u201d, but humans are actually very flexible.<\/p>\n \u201cThe study analyses what is currently meant by, you know, a road grader or a knowledge worker in some form,\u201d he said \u201cSo it doesn\u2019t really recognise that humans adapt and change with the advances in technology<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n On the flipside, the \u2018safe\u2019 jobs might not be safe forever.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may regard that plumbers and embalmers and so on, dredgers are safe jobs,\u201d said Rogoyski. \u201cBut you know, advances in robotics are happening at pace, and those physical jobs may be very displaceable in five years\u2019 time.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, the risk of mass redundancies is hard to ignore. Last year the think tank IPPR<\/a> warned of an AI-driven \u2018job apocalypse\u2019<\/a> without strong government action. In its worst-case scenario, 7.9 million jobs disappear with no economic gain. In the best case, no jobs are lost and GDP grows by 13%.<\/p>\n We\u2019re at a sliding doors moment, where government policy is intersecting with rapid developments in technology<\/a>. At present, it\u2019s hard to predict which way it will go.<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n One trend is clear: the young are most at risk. Normally, late summer marks the shift from dissertations to first jobs, but this year the supply of entry-level roles has shrunk. According to Indeed<\/a>, graduate postings fell by a third over the past year. AI is partly to blame, says Rogoyski.<\/p>\n \u201cCompanies looking to make immediate cost savings by not hiring or getting rid of firing low skill, low experience workers \u2013 that typically targets the young. Graduate employment is slowing down, for example, not just in the UK, but around the world. And a few recent studies are suggesting that actually this might be due to early effects of generative AI,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n \u201cBut how are people to learn their craft and their trade? You jeopardise the talent pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n The numbers bear him out. Entry-level vacancies have collapsed since generative AI went mainstream: Job search site Adzuna recently reported a 32% fall in junior and graduate roles since late 2022, with graduate postings at their lowest level since 2020 .<\/p>\n In tech, the drop is even steeper \u2013 research by Ravio finds entry-level hiring across Europe down by more than 70% in the past year. And a survey by Prospects<\/a> & Jisc career guidance consultancy suggests the anxiety is filtering through to graduates themselves, with one in ten already changing career plans because they fear AI will make their chosen path obsolete.<\/p>\n By culling a graduate recruitment pathway, it may well do so.<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t just delegate everything entry level to an AI. If you displace, let\u2019s say, a sort of entry level bookkeeper with an AI. That bookkeeper may have gone on to become a sort of high flying accountant, or a financial director of a FTSE 100 company or something, but that track is no longer there.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s another risk looming over the job market, anyway.<\/p>\n There is a growing threat that the Artificial Intelligence bubble could burst, the Bank of England has warned \u2013 an outcome that could trigger a recession.<\/p>\n Frenzied hype about AI\u2019s potential has led to massive increase in valuations, with companies such as OpenAI now worth $500bn (\u00a3372bn). But is it sustainable?<\/p>\n The Bank of England has warned there is a growing risk of a \u201csharp market correction,\u201d with valuations plunging. It could have serious implications for Rachel Reeves\u2019 growth forecasts<\/p>\n \u201cThe risk of spillovers to the UK financial system from such global shocks is material.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n But before that happens, Big Issue spoke to the profession most and least at risk from AI \u2013 according to the Microsoft study \u2013 about how their jobs are already being impacted.<\/p>\n Translator: the most impacted by AI<\/p>\n Beth \u2013 not her real name \u2013 is an Ireland-based translator in Spanish and Portuguese. She\u2019s been working in her field for 20 years.<\/p>\n How has AI impacted your work?<\/p>\n Yes, it has. Everything was going great before. I lived between London and home to look after my mum, and translation really suited me \u2013 not just the work itself, but the flexibility. But suddenly things have whittled down. My work is probably about 50% of what it was two years ago. Nobody\u2019s written to say \u201cwe\u2019re using AI\u201d, but agencies that once gave regular work have become platforms, or been bought by American conglomerates. Now most jobs are bottom-line, first-come-first-served. I got a job offer the other night, couldn\u2019t even take it because the computers were down, and by the time I logged on, it had been snapped up. Super competitive.<\/p>\n Are colleagues using AI?<\/p>\n I think it\u2019s a mixed bag. People think it\u2019s overhyped. Yes, AI can do certain things, but language isn\u2019t just an equation. You can\u2019t break it down like that \u2013 it\u2019s about nuance, culture, meaning. Some people use it for research, maybe summarising, but it\u2019s still very reductive.<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n What can AI not do?<\/p>\n Well, I never use it. It misses the subtleties \u2013 empathy, context, cultural understanding. If you throw hospital reports or legal documents at it, there can be a mismatch. Sometimes AI makes things up. With translation that\u2019s a serious risk.<\/p>\n Do you think human translators will always be needed?<\/p>\n I\u2019d like to think so. But the economy isn\u2019t brilliant. Businesses want to cut corners. Sometimes it\u2019s cheaper to machine-translate. It\u2019s about what people value. If they want quality, human translators are still essential.<\/p>\n Massage therapist: the least impacted<\/p>\n Danny Morgan is an osteopath and massage therapist. He runs Body Function Clinic<\/a>, overseeing 11 therapists taking about 400 appointments a month.<\/p>\n Is AI a concern for your profession?<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of talk about AI, but we don\u2019t feel too scared. The human element \u2013 hands-on work, really knowing a patient \u2013 can\u2019t fully translate to AI. Some physiotherapy platforms try video consultations, telling patients to squat or do exercises, then giving generic routines. It\u2019s like turning them into mannequins. That hands-on skill takes years to develop; AI isn\u2019t close to that.<\/p>\n Do you use AI in your clinic?<\/p>\n Yes, operationally. We use software to record sessions and auto-generate treatment notes. It saves us hours on admin. But I\u2019ve deliberately avoided AI answering phones \u2013 people, especially older patients, want human interaction. Healthcare is built on relationships and trust. AI can assist, but it can\u2019t replace that connection.<\/p>\n Do you think AI could ever replace massage therapists?<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think so. It can help with tasks like writing letters or managing workflow, but people want empathy and real connection. Recovery often depends on the practitioner\u2013patient relationship, and AI won\u2019t get that.<\/p>\n Would you recommend a young person train in therapy because of AI?<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n Yes, but it\u2019s hard work and requires good communication skills. Don\u2019t pick it just to avoid AI. The shelf life of your average physio is about seven years, so it\u2019s not for everyone.<\/p>\n Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this?\u00a0Get in touch and tell us more<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reader-funded since 1991 \u2013 Big Issue brings you trustworthy journalism that drives real change.<\/p>\n Every day, our journalists dig deeper, speaking up for those society overlooks.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Danny-osteopath.jpg\")
Danny Morgan from Body Function clinic<\/p>\n