More than 1 million London jobs — over a fifth of the capital’s workforce — could be substantially changed by generative artificial intelligence, a report published by the Mayor of London warns. Around 300,000 roles, mainly routine administrative posts, are described as “highly exposed” and a further 748,000 as “significantly exposed”; the analysis also finds roughly 46% of London employees occupy roles where GenAI could automate a meaningful share of tasks, compared with 38% across the UK.
The scale of exposure
The Mayor of London’s report puts the headline figure at more than a million workers whose roles are likely to change substantially as generative AI spreads through workplaces. Around 300,000 people — mainly in routine administrative roles — are described as “highly exposed”, meaning AI can already perform a large share of their daily tasks.
Another 748,000 Londoners are labelled “significantly exposed”, with parts of their jobs now or soon to be highly automatable. Together those two groups account for more than a fifth of the city’s workforce. The research also calculates that roughly 46% of London employees, about 2.4 million people, occupy roles where GenAI could automate a meaningful share of tasks; the UK-wide rate is put at 38%.
The report highlights that exposure is widespread but concentrated in particular job tasks — especially repetitive, structured duties — rather than evenly spread across all occupations.
Which jobs are most exposed
The analysis points to particular sectors as more vulnerable. It singles out:
- Information and communication (ICT)
- Finance
- Professional services
- Public administration
Within these sectors, routine administrative duties — such as drafting standard emails, summarising documents, producing charts or writing recurring code snippets — are the most immediately at risk because a single AI tool can now perform several of those tasks at once.
Early signs in the labour market
The report says there are early indications of shifting employer behaviour. In some of the most exposed administrative and professional roles, recruitment appears to be slowing, although the authors caution that hiring-trend evidence remains inconclusive.
It also notes that 7% of large UK companies have used AI to reduce staff, a statistic offered as a warning that while automation can augment work, employers are already using AI as a tool to cut headcount in some cases.
City hall’s response
Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, stressed both risk and opportunity when setting out the findings. “A high degree of exposure to AI doesn't necessarily mean job losses,” Sir Sadiq said, adding that AI could augment and assist Londoners in many roles rather than eliminate them entirely.
To monitor the effect and propose responses, the mayor has set up a London AI and Jobs Taskforce chaired by Baroness Martha Lane-Fox. The taskforce’s brief is to watch how AI changes jobs in the capital and identify risks and opportunities.
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Sir Sadiq Khan said: “A high degree of exposure to AI doesn't necessarily mean job losses.” The mayor has established a London AI and Jobs Taskforce, chaired by Baroness Martha Lane-Fox, to monitor how AI changes work in the capital and recommend responses for affected Londoners.
This article was created with AI assistance.
