About 19.2 million jobs in the United States face high or very high risk of displacement due to automation, according to research released Wednesday by SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management.
The “2025 Jobs at Risk Report” identified substantial disparities in automation displacement risk across different sectors, with the percentage of high-risk employment ranging from 4.7 percent in life sciences to nearly 20 percent in business and financial operations.
Blue-collar, service and administrative support roles are disproportionately affected by automation risk compared to other occupational categories, the study found. Industries including finance, insurance and manufacturing reported the highest exposure to automation-driven workforce disruptions.
“Automation is no longer a hypothetical challenge; it is a present reality requiring thoughtful, strategic action from organizations,” said Alex Alonso, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at SHRM.
The research determined that 12.6 percent of U.S. jobs overall face high or very high automation displacement risk, highlighting what SHRM describes as a pressing need for targeted reskilling initiatives.
In response to these findings, SHRM is promoting what it calls an “AI+HI=ROI strategy” — combining artificial intelligence with human intelligence to build workforce resilience as technological adoption accelerates.
“While automation has the potential to drive efficiency, businesses must pair it with human ingenuity to unlock true value,” said Alonso.
The organization recommends organizations take several approaches, including identifying high-risk roles and providing targeted training, using AI to enhance talent management while ensuring ethical implementation, and thoughtfully integrating automation without compromising employee engagement.
The report is the first in what SHRM describes as a multi-part series examining automation’s impact on the workforce. SHRM represents nearly 340,000 members across 180 countries.
