Professionals · code 2631
Economists
Economists conduct research, monitor data, analyse information and prepare reports and plans to resolve economic and business problems and develop models to analyse, explain and forecast economic behaviour and patterns. They provide advice to business, interest groups and governments to formulate solutions to present or projected economic and business problems. Tasks include - (a) forecasting changes in the economic environment for short-term budgeting, long-term planning and investment evaluation; (b) formulating recommendations, policies and plans for the economy, corporate strategies and investment, and undertaking feasibility studies for projects; (c) monitoring economic data to assess the effectiveness, and advise on the appropriateness, of monetary and fiscal policies; (d) forecasting production and consumption of specific products and services based on records of past production and consumption and general economic and industry-specific conditions; (e) preparing forecasts of income and expenditure, interest rates and exchange rates; (f) analysing factors that determine labour force participation, employment, wages, unemployment and other labour market outcomes; (g) applying mathematical formulae and statistical techniques to test economic theories and devise solutions to economic problems; (h) compiling, analysing and interpreting economic data using economic theory and a variety of statistical and other techniques; (i) evaluating the outcome of political decisions concerning public economy and finances, and advising on economic policy and possible courses of action in the light of past, present and projected economic factors and trends; (j) preparing scholarly papers and reports; (k) examining problems related to the economic activities of individual companies; (l) conducting research on market conditions in local, regional or national areas to set sales and pricing levels for goods and services, to assess market potential and future trends and to develop business strategies. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Econometrician - Economic adviser - Economic analyst - Economist - Labour economist Some related occupations classified elsewhere: - Statistician - 2120
Most of the tasks are affected. It ranks 399 of 427 for holding up against AI.
Also known as
- economist
Job titles from the EU's ESCO list. Search for any of them on the jobs page and you'll end up here.
against AI Exposed: Gradient 3
AI could take on 55.5 of 100, on average
so it holds up at 100 − 55.5 = 44.5
That's the whole sum, and you can check it against the ILO's study.
out of 100
From O*NET, averaged across 2 US jobs
and cramped
finger skill 8.1 · hand skill 0 · cramped spaces 0 · averaged
Kind of hands-on work · hands-on under 50 Less than half hands-on
Less than half of this job is hands-on. Robots still matter, but for a smaller part of the work, so we don't sort it any further.
estimated O*NET 31.0 BLS occupational crosswalk chain ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC (Aug 2012, rev. Jun 2015); 2010 to 2018 SOC (Nov 2017); O*NET-SOC 2019 taxonomy data 0.7-work-setting measures chosen by Frey & Osborne (2017) · the grouping is a sorting, not a measurement
What this number leaves out This job rates 2.7 out of 100 for how hands-on it is. The score above only looks at AI tools, not robots, but for work this far from the physical that matters less.
The tasks behind the score
The score is the average of these. A job is really a bundle of tasks, and an average can hide how uneven that bundle is.
The task AI could do most of scores 65, while the average is 55.5. A big gap means some of this job is wide open to AI and some of it barely at all. That's quite different from a job where everything sits somewhere in the middle, even when the averages match.
- 65
Analysing factors that determine labour force participation, employment, wages, unemployment and other labour market outcomes
Medium - 64.3
Compiling, analysing and interpreting economic data using economic theory and a variety of statistical and other techniques
Medium - 62
Preparing forecasts of income and expenditure, interest rates and exchange rates
Medium - 58.3
Formulating recommendations, policies and plans for the economy, corporate strategies and investment, and undertaking feasibility studies for projects
Medium - 57.5
Applying mathematical formulae and statistical techniques and apply to test economic theories and devise solutions to economic problems
Medium - 57.5
Evaluating the outcome of political decisions concerning public economy and finances and advising on economic policy and possible courses of action in the light of past, present and projected economic factors and trends
Medium - 57
Monitoring economic data to assess the effectiveness, and advise on the appropriateness, of monetary and fiscal policies
Medium - 55.5
Examining problems related to the economic activities of individual companies
Medium - 53.5
Forecasting production and consumption of specific products and services based on records of past production and consumption and general economic and industry-specific conditions
Medium - 53.5
Preparing scholarly papers and reports
Medium - 46.5
Forecasting changes in the economic environment for short-term budgeting, long-term planning and investment evaluation
Low - 35
Conducting research on market conditions in local, regional or national areas to set sales and pricing levels for goods and services, to assess market potential and future trends and to develop business strategies.
Low
12 tasks · the High to Very Low labels are the ILO's
from the source Working Paper 140, Generative AI and Jobs 2025 index data 0.7-work-setting
Helped, or replaced?
The score above can't tell a tool that makes you faster from one that does the task instead of you. Jobs and Skills Australia looked at those two things separately, and this is their result, matched to this job.
2 Australian jobs match this one, and we've simply averaged them. Treat the numbers as a rough guide.
- AI helps you
- 74.5
- AI does it for you
- 51
Helping wins by 23.5 points.
estimated Our Gen AI Transition (Gen AI Capacity Study) September 2025 detailed data release data 0.7-work-setting matched to Australian jobs 2243, 2245
Compared with similar jobs
There are 92 jobs in the “Professionals” group, averaging 61.5. This one is below that.
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