Will AI replace economics jobs?
Updated
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 |
| Forecast production and consumption of renewable resources and supply, consumption, and depletion of non-renewable resources. Models speed forecasting; expert judgement sets resource assumptions. | 55% AI helps |
| Study the socioeconomic impacts of new public policies, such as proposed legislation, taxes, services, and regulations. AI drafts impact analysis from policy text; economist judges outcomes. | 50% AI helps |
| Formulate recommendations, policies, or plans to solve economic problems or to interpret markets. AI drafts options and models; policy choice stays with economist. | 45% AI helps |
| Develop economic guidelines and standards, and prepare points of view used in forecasting trends and formulating economic policy. AI drafts guidance and standards; expert judgement sets viewpoints. | 40% AI helps |
| Provide advice and consultation on economic relationships to businesses, public and private agencies, and other employers. AI drafts analyses; live advisory relationships need human judgement. | 35% AI helps |
Show the other 4 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Teach theories, principles, and methods of economics. AI aids lesson prep and grading; live teaching stays human. | 35% AI helps |
| Provide litigation support, such as writing reports for expert testimony or testifying as an expert witness. AI drafts expert report sections; testimony and liability stay human. | 35% AI helps |
| Testify at regulatory or legislative hearings concerning the estimated effects of changes in legislation or public policy, and present recommendations based on cost-benefit analyses. AI preps testimony and cost benefit drafts; live testimony stays human. | 22% AI helps |
| Supervise research projects and students' study projects. Mentoring and supervision depend on personal relationships and accountability. | 15% Needs a person |
How economists compare
All jobs (923)
Life, physical and social science (60)
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.
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.
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