The Bank for International Settlements published a bulletin and accompanying data set assessing whether artificial intelligence and robots could ease labour shortages caused by ageing workforces across 135 economies. Its new ageing-automation overlap index finds that automation potential is often concentrated in industries with younger workers, such as finance and manufacturing, while older, large employers including agriculture and health have less scope to automate.
2026-09-24Bank for International Settlements
Bank for International Settlements maps limited scope for AI and robots to offset workforce ageing across 135 economies
A Bank for International Settlements bulletin finds that AI and robot exposure is often concentrated in industries with younger workforces, limiting automation’s ability to offset population ageing. Its index covering 135 economies shows more favourable conditions in richer economies overall, although several advanced economies face poor alignment. Policy responses may require greater labour force participation, worker mobility or immigration where automation potential is limited.