The National Bank of Denmark has published an analysis finding that firms beginning to use artificial intelligence subsequently hire fewer employees and record slightly lower employment growth than comparable firms not using AI. The effect is concentrated among younger and more highly educated employees, while there are no signs of an impact on wages. The findings do not yet indicate an overall effect on Danish employment, and the central bank does not expect one over the next few years, suggesting that people who might otherwise have joined firms using AI are finding work elsewhere. The longer-term impact remains uncertain because AI could reduce employment or support enough new firms and job functions to increase it. The analysis combines Statistics Denmark data on firms’ AI use with register data on their employment and wages.
2026-09-16National Bank of Denmark
National Bank of Denmark finds firms using AI hire fewer workers, with no clear economywide employment effect
The National Bank of Denmark found that firms beginning to use AI subsequently hire fewer workers than comparable firms, particularly affecting younger and more highly educated employees. It found no wage impact or clear effect on overall Danish employment, although the longer-term consequences remain uncertain.