UAE: AI to ‘eliminate’ 40% of back-office jobs globally, says expert

About 40 per cent of jobs worldwide, especially back-office workers, could be replaced by the rise of artificial intelligence, a top official said in Abu Dhabi.

Sameer Abdullah Naas, president of the Union of Arab Chambers, said employers and employees are embracing new technologies at workplaces.

“People are technology driven. And they are more adapted to new technology. I noticed a lot of businesses working on the internet and selling products through their business and marketing promoting using that tool very well and efficiently. I think they adapt very well,” Naas said during a panel discussion at the ongoing Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) Congress 2024 in Abu Dhabi.

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In the same vein, Naas, who is also the Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, underlined that up to 40 per cent of back office jobs would be replaced by AI.

“The only challenges with new technologies nowadays that we see are getting warnings from specialists, I mean, an indication... that AI is going to be coming and creating a new problem and a challenge for governments and companies regarding back office operations. For example, that (AI) would eliminate almost 40 per cent of the jobs available in back office operations,” Naas noted.

Back-office jobs typically involve administrative-level work like accounting, maintaining records, data entry, HR, office management, IT support, and mostly operations-related services.

Retraining in age of AI

Naas pointed out the need for reskilling the workforce to counter job losses because of automation.

“And that means there’s another challenge, that is to retrain, to find a replacement, or where these people are going to be working.”