Not Very Resilient
Last Update: 7/31/2026
AI Resilience Score for Economists:
31.8%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
Low
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Low
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Med
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
Most data sources align, with only minor variation. This is a well-supported result.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forEconomists
$124,720 median salary•900 annual openings•SOC Code: 19-3011.00
Economists are less resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 8 sources.
Economists are labeled "Not Very Resilient" because AI is already automating a large share of the routine tasks that make up a lot of this work, including literature reviews, data analysis, econometric coding, and report writing. In economic consulting especially, AI tools can cut the time spent on common research tasks by 80 to 95 percent, which means fewer people are needed to produce the same output.
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Economists are labeled "Not Very Resilient" because AI is already automating a large share of the routine tasks that make up a lot of this work, including literature reviews, data analysis, econometric coding, and report writing. In economic consulting especially, AI tools can cut the time spent on common research tasks by 80 to 95 percent, which means fewer people are needed to produce the same output.
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Economists
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Economists jobs?
Right now, AI is mostly augmenting economists rather than replacing them. A National Bureau of Economic Research paper explains that economists can create agents that autonomously conduct literature reviews across myriads of sources, write and debug econometric code, fetch and analyze economic data, and coordinate complex research workflows, and that with "vibe coding" through natural language, any economist can build sophisticated research assistants and other autonomous tools in minutes. AEI similarly reports that ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are serving as "force multipliers" for economists and policy analysts [1], helping with data analysis, writing, and overcoming research bottlenecks rather than replacing core judgment.
In economic consulting, ProMarket reports that AI agents can save 80–90% of the time spent on literature review and 85–95% of the time on "maker-checker" audit work [2], trimming the labor needed to produce expert reports. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also notes that insufficient data infrastructure is the greatest obstacle to AI usage [3], which slows full automation.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Economists?
Adoption is moving quickly because tools are cheap, widely available, and especially good at the routine modeling and writing tasks economists do. BCG's 2026 analysis estimates that 50% to 55% of US jobs will be reshaped by AI over the next two to three years [4], with full substitution coming more slowly. For economists specifically, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment growth of just 1% from 2024 to 2034, slower than the average for all occupations [3] — likely reflecting AI's productivity boost.
ProMarket adds that AI will likely reduce overall demand for economic consultants and shift work to in-house teams [2]. Still, human strengths — supervising students, judgment calls about public policy, and testifying under oath — remain hard to automate, so economists who lean into AI as a partner are likely to thrive.
Sources
Will AI replace Economists?
In part. We think AI will eventually automate a real share of this work, but economists who adapt can still build meaningful, well-compensated careers.
Our 31.8% AI Resilience Score reflects a real challenge. AI tools are already handling much of what junior economists spend their days on: literature reviews, data analysis, econometric coding, and drafting reports. ProMarket reports that AI agents can save 80 to 90% of the time spent on literature review and 85 to 95% of the time on audit work [2], which means fewer people are needed to produce the same output. The BLS projects just 1% employment growth for economists through 2034 [3], and ProMarket adds that AI will likely reduce demand for economic consultants specifically [2].
That said, some things stay stubbornly human. Testifying before a committee, advising on public policy, supervising research, and making judgment calls in messy real-world situations are hard to automate. Economists who treat AI as a force multiplier rather than a threat are likely to thrive [1]. The skills that make a good economist, including critical thinking, communication, and quantitative reasoning, also transfer well into data science, policy, finance, and tech. This career is under pressure, but the underlying toolkit is genuinely durable.
Sources
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Latest AI news for Economists
These articles highlight the urgent call from hundreds of economists for proactive measures to address AI's economic impact, emphasizing job displacement risks. For students pursuing careers in economics, this signals a need to understand AI's role in shaping labor markets and economic policies. As noted in the open letters, economists are encouraged to develop strategies that promote resilience against economic disruptions caused by AI. Engaging with these insights can prepare future economists to navigate and influence the evolving landscape effectively.
Economists Warn of the Potential Economic Impact of AI
www.visionmonday.com • 7/16/2026
Hundreds of economists have signed an open letter urging institutions to proactively address the potential economic impact and job...
Economists say ‘we must act now’ on AI’s economic impact
www.ocregister.com • 7/14/2026
Hundreds of economists say in an open letter that institutions must act now to address how artificial intelligence could transform the...
Hundreds of economists say 'we must act now' on AI’s economic impact and job displacement risks
apnews.com • 7/14/2026
Hundreds of economists urge immediate action to address AI's potential impact on the economy. In an open letter released Monday,...
Hundreds of experts warn the world must prepare now for AI’s impact
www.aljazeera.com • 7/14/2026
More than 200 economists and AI researchers call on leaders to immediately prepare for sweeping economic disruption.
Nobel laureates among more than 200 experts urging action on AI's economic impact
www.reuters.com • 7/13/2026
More than 200 researchers and economists, including 15 Nobel laureates and researchers at OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, have called for...
More Career Info
Career: Economists
They study money and resources to understand how they affect people and businesses, and they give advice on making smart financial decisions.
Parent Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$124,720
Jobs (2024)
17,600
Growth (2024-34)
+1.2%
Annual Openings
900
Education
Master's degree
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Provide litigation support, such as writing reports for expert testimony or testifying as an expert witness.
2
Supervise research projects and students' study projects.
3
Forecast production and consumption of renewable resources and supply, consumption and depletion of non-renewable resources.
4
Study the socioeconomic impacts of new public policies, such as proposed legislation, taxes, services, and regulations.
5
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.
6
Provide advice and consultation on economic relationships to businesses, public and private agencies, and other employers.
7
Develop economic guidelines and standards and prepare points of view used in forecasting trends and formulating economic policy.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
