Manchester Industrial Relations Society Annual Arthur Priest Memorial Lecture
Thursday October 9th, 6-7.30 pm
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, All Saints Campus (Lecture Theatre G33) -online access via Zoom also available
We will be holding our first Manchester Industrial Relations Society meeting of the year on Thursday October 9. This is a joint meeting with the Manchester CIPD branch – the meeting is in person with online access via Zoom.
From Potential to Pressure: Mapping Generative AI’s Disruption of UK Jobs
Dr Golo Henseke, Associate Professor in Applied Economics, Institute of Education, University College London
Discussants: Prof Irena Grugulis, University of Leeds; Emma Brookes, Chair, Manchester CIPD Branch
There has been much debate in recent years concerning the potential and actual impact of AI on jobs and the nature of work. This talk introduces the Generative AI Susceptibility Index (GAISI), a novel measure showing how UK jobs are exposed to AI like ChatGPT . GAISI reveals widespread but moderate AI exposure across nearly all jobs (94%), with high-skilled roles most susceptible, marking a departure from previous automation trends. Since 2017, aggregate exposure has risen due to shifts in employment towards more AI-susceptible occupations. Critically, our findings show early evidence of significant labour market disruption: the labour demand in these occupations weakened notably post-ChatGPT, with job postings estimated 5.5% lower in Q2 2025 than expected had pre-GPT hiring trends continued. The hiring slump coincides with declining employment of under-30-year-olds in heavily exposed occupations. This suggests displacement effects may currently outweigh productivity gains, creating tangible pressure on UK jobs and early career workers.
Golo’s presentation will be followed by comments from Emma Brookes (CIPD) and Irena Grugulis (University of Leeds).