IMF Chief Warns AI ‘Slow-Moving Tsunami’ Could Hit Young Workers

Artificial intelligence could affect about 40% of jobs globally and place early pressure on young workers entering routine roles, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in Bangkok on Oct. 12.

“AI’s effects on employment are another worry, ‘a slow moving tsunami, but a tsunami nonetheless.’” Georgieva said.

She added: “The impact over time on jobs globally we estimate to be around 40% - jobs either augmented or downgraded or eliminated.”

The 40% figure in Georgieva’s remarks describes jobs that may be changed in different ways, including through higher productivity, reduced demand for human labor or elimination. It is related to, but not identical with, the IMF’s separate research estimate that almost 40% of global employment is exposed to AI.

AI exposure is highest in advanced economies, affecting about 60% of jobs, compared with about 40% in emerging-market economies and 26% in low-income countries. In advanced economies, roughly half of exposed jobs could benefit from higher productivity, while the other half could face lower labor demand or wages. Some positions could disappear.

“I don’t think any young person wants to be a barista in a coffee shop as their professional future,” Georgieva said.

In January 2026, the IMF said one in 10 job postings in advanced economies required at least one new skill, compared with one in 20 postings in emerging-market economies. The figures point to changing requirements for workers as AI adoption reshapes tasks and skills.

The IMF has identified young and middle-income workers as groups that may face particular pressure without stronger investment in education, reskilling and lifelong learning. For workers entering the labor market, the risk is concentrated in roles that rely heavily on routine tasks.

The IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings are underway in Bangkok from Oct. 12-18, with AI, labor markets and worker reskilling among the scheduled topics. TokenPost previously examined AI’s effects on U.S. growth and entry-level job risk.