AI projected to create 1.7 million net jobs globally by 2030, Gartner forecasts

Artificial intelligence is expected to create 10.6 million jobs and eliminate 8.9 million worldwide by 2030, resulting in a net increase of 1.7 million jobs, according to a forecast by Gartner.

The report estimates that between 0.4% and 1.8% of workers globally will experience job losses directly attributable to AI by 2030. However, more than 20% of the global workforce, or around 435.5 million employees, will see their roles transformed as AI changes their responsibilities and the way they work.

Gartner also highlighted the impact of delayed hiring, with business and IT executives postponing the creation of new positions. In 2026, an estimated 1.3 million positions were deferred, alongside 2.2 million job losses and 1.6 million job gains. By 2030, around five million people are expected to have been affected by delayed job creation.

“Deferred jobs are not the same as lost jobs. They simply aren’t created,” said John Lovelock, Distinguished VP Analyst and Chief of Research at Gartner.

The impact is expected to differ across industries. Asset-intensive sectors are projected to add 6.4 million jobs and lose six million by 2030, with AI-related job losses affecting 0.4% of their workforce. The public sector is expected to see 400,000 job gains against 900,000 losses, with AI-related losses accounting for 0.4% of its workforce.

The technology sector is projected to experience 1.9 million job gains and 400,000 job losses. However, AI-related job losses could affect 1.8% of its workforce, the highest proportion among the three industry groups analysed.

“Organizations most advanced in AI execution view AI not as a replacement for labor, but as a catalyst to reinvent operations and rebalance workforce and technology capabilities to compete in changing markets. They ensure AI’s economic value goes beyond replacing labor,” said Helen Poitevin, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner.