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Will AI replace Economist?
Life, Physical, and Social Science · $124,720 median pay · Graduate or professional degree
Automation exposure
How much of the work AI can already do
More exposed than 80% of the occupations in the index.
Averaged across 16 O*NET tasks, weighted by importance.
AI assistance potential
How much AI tools make the worker more capable
Economists spend a substantial portion of their work conducting literature reviews, writing data analysis code (in R, Python, or Stata), building econometric models, and drafting technical reports or policy briefs. Modern AI tools—such as advanced LLMs, code generation tools, and automated literature synthesis engines—dramatically accelerate every stage of this workflow. An AI-fluent economist can effectively operate with the productivity of a team with multiple research assistants, rapidly prototyping models, analyzing data, and drafting findings, making AI fluency a major differentiator in the field.
What the work involves and who it suits, beyond AI.
What the two scores mean
Automation exposure is how much of the work current AI can already perform. A high score means the tasks are exposed, not that the job will disappear: how employers use that is a separate question.
AI assistance potential is how much AI tools make a worker in this occupation more capable. It is upside, not risk — a job can score high on both.
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