Speaker
Description
Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly the rapid expansion of generative AI technologies, have intensified debates regarding their implications for labour markets and skill demand. Within the European Union (EU), increasing AI adoption is expected to reshape employment structures, particularly in knowledge-intensive sectors such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This study investigates whether the growing diffusion of AI technologies is associated with changes in labour demand for ICT specialists across EU member states.
The empirical analysis is based on quarterly panel data covering multiple EU countries, combining indicators of ICT labour demand derived from online job advertisement statistics with measures of AI adoption based on enterprise-level data. A panel data regression framework (PanelOLS) with country and time fixed effects is employed to estimate the relationship between AI adoption and ICT labour demand. The model incorporates lagged variables to capture delayed effects of AI adoption, as well as macroeconomic control variables, including unemployment and inflation rates, to account for broader labour market conditions.
The results indicate a modest relationship between AI adoption and ICT labour demand, with relatively low explanatory power, suggesting that AI adoption and macroeconomic controls explain only a limited share of the observed variation in ICT job demand. The estimated effects remain moderate in magnitude, highlighting that the relationship between AI diffusion and ICT employment demand is complex and influenced by multiple structural factors.
Overall, the findings suggest that AI adoption is associated with measurable but heterogeneous changes in ICT labour demand across EU countries. The results emphasize the importance of technological readiness and national labour market characteristics in shaping employment responses to emerging technologies. This study contributes to the literature by providing cross-country panel evidence on AI-related labour market dynamics and offers insights relevant for policymakers concerned with digital skills development, workforce adaptation, and long-term labour market resilience.
