# Will AI replace economics jobs? Updated October 2026 Economists score 58 out of 100 for AI exposure. AI helps with 85% of their task time, and they stay in charge. AI can do another 8%. 7% needs a person. - **8%** AI can do it - **85%** AI helps - **7%** Needs a person High exposure Higher than 88% of the 923 jobs we scored. ## Task by task We graded 14 tasks, most exposed first. AI can do 1 of them, helps with 12 and leaves 1 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Review documents written by others. LLMs can review and critique documents; person checks final judgement. | 72% AI can do it | | Compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical techniques. Code and data tools speed analysis; economist validates forecasts. | 62% AI helps | | Study economic and statistical data in area of specialization, such as finance, labor, or agriculture. AI can summarize and process datasets; economist interprets results. | 60% AI helps | | Explain economic impact of policies to the public. AI drafts plain language explanations; economist reviews accuracy and framing. | 60% AI helps | | Conduct research on economic issues, and disseminate research findings through technical reports or scientific articles in journals. AI speeds literature review, coding and drafting; researcher leads findings. | 60% AI helps | ## How economists compare All jobs (923) Life, physical and social science (60) The dark line is **economists, at 58**. Each dot is a score, and darker dots mean more jobs share it. The short marks are the averages, 37 for all jobs and 47 for life, physical and social science. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $124,720 a year, May 2025 People employed 17,790 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +4.7% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Run econometric models in Python and R - Write SQL and SAS queries on raw economic datasets - Present forecasts in Tableau and Microsoft Power BI - Testify before regulatory and legislative hearings on cost-benefit estimates - Validate AI-drafted policy explanations for accuracy and framing - Supervise graduate students' research projects through to publication ## Safer roles nearby 5 related jobs with lower scores. - [Economics professors45 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/economics-professors/) - [Business professors52 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/business-professors/) - [Investment fund managers53 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/investment-fund-managers/) - [Sociologists51 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/sociologists/) - [Actuaries47 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/actuaries/) ## Questions about economists and AI Will economics jobs be replaced by AI? Partly. About 5 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly reviewing documents written by others and compiling data into reports. What stays with economists is the judgement behind forecasts, policy advice and testimony, because those tasks rest on accountability for the conclusions. Will AI take over economist jobs? AI can do 8% of the task time for economists and helps with another 85%. 7% needs a person. The US has 17,790 economist jobs, with a projected change of +4.7% from 2024 to 2034. Which economist tasks is AI taking over? Reviewing documents written by others, with an exposure score of 72, is the most exposed task, because LLMs can critique drafts and flag weak arguments. Compiling and analyzing data for forecasts, scored 62, is next, since Python, R and SQL tools speed up modeling while the economist still validates the results. Which economist tasks stay human? Supervising research and student projects, scored 15, stays with economists because mentoring depends on personal relationships and accountability. Testifying at regulatory hearings, scored 22, stays human because a person must answer live questions about the cost-benefit numbers they present. How do economists stay valuable as AI takes on more analysis? Build forecasts you can defend in Python and R, documenting every assumption behind each model. Turn findings into clear Tableau and Power BI dashboards that policymakers can act on. Keep testimony, advisory meetings and graduate supervision on your calendar, since those tasks depend on your presence and judgement. ## Related jobs - [Environmental economists60 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/environmental-economists/) - [Financial analysts58 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/financial-analysts/) - [Political scientists62 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/political-scientists/) - [Financial quantitative analysts58 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/financial-quantitative-analysts/) ## Next steps for economists - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV to see which tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) - ### Estimate team savings The score is per person. Add headcount and salary to see the hours AI can take on in a team of economists, and what they cost. [Estimate what AI saves a team of economists](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/team-ai-audit/?role=economists) [Work out the return on automation](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-savings-calculator/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Roustabouts score lowest, at 6.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Pediatric surgeons earn a median $559,030 and score 29.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Roustabouts need little prior training and score 6.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**AI helps with 98% of the task time for health informatics specialists.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we score, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 job groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Sources and licences Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.