The Characteristics of the Artificial Intelligence Workforce across OECD Countries

Abstract This study provides representative, cross-country estimates of the artificial intelligence (AI) workforce across the OECD countries. The AI workforce is defined as the subset of workers with skills in statistics, computer science and machine learning who could actively develop and maintain AI systems. For countries that wish to be at the forefront of AI development, understanding the AI workforce is crucial to building and nurturing a talent pipeline, and ensuring that those who create AI reflect the diversity of society. This study uses data from online job vacancies to measure the within-occupation intensity of AI skill demand. The within-occupation AI intensity is then weighted to employment by occupation in labour force surveys to provide estimates of the size and growth of the AI workforce over time. The study finds that the AI workforce in the OECD countries is still relatively small—less than 0.3% of employment—but growing rapidly. Workers with AI skills are not representative of the overall employed population in OECD societies: They tend to be disproportionately male with a tertiary education.