Slug: world-bank-ai-jobs-pakistan-services-sector
Category: Business
Focus keyphrase: AI jobs Pakistan services sector World Bank
SEO title: World Bank: AI Could Reshape Pakistan’s Services Jobs
Meta description: A new World Bank report finds 61% of Pakistan’s services workers in jobs with above-median AI exposure; trade, finance and education most affected.
Tags: World Bank, artificial intelligence, jobs, services sector, Pakistan economy, workforce, automation, productivity
Original element: own data point — the report lands the same month our own live reporting found the government’s IT ministry admitting AI “is not working” in rural Pakistan, and as Pakistan eyes $44 billion in remittances from a services-heavy economy; both linked below.
World Bank: AI Could Reshape Pakistan’s Services Jobs
ISLAMABAD: Artificial intelligence could significantly change Pakistan’s job market, with 61 per cent of services sector workers employed in occupations with above-median AI exposure, according to a new World Bank report.
The report, titled Job Opportunities and AI in Pakistan, finds opportunities to improve productivity alongside concerns about potential job losses. It places Pakistan’s average occupational AI exposure score in 2024 at 0.48 standard deviations below the global median, but says exposure differs considerably across industries, with the services sector facing the greatest impact.
Trade, finance and education most exposed
More than 80 per cent of workers in wholesale and retail trade, finance, insurance, real estate and education hold jobs with high AI exposure, the report says. In comparison, only 7 per cent of manufacturing workers and 5 per cent of workers in other industrial sectors face similar exposure. Agriculture, despite employing a significant share of Pakistan’s workforce, has the lowest share at less than 1 per cent.
The finding matters for an economy where services dominate employment and where remittances, which Finance Minister Aurangzeb has projected could reach $44 billion, flow from a largely services-based workforce abroad. Even the industrial side of the economy is not detached from the question: Pakistan’s textile companies posted record Rs52 billion profits this year, yet manufacturing sits at just 7 per cent exposure, a sharp contrast with the services jobs that employ far more people.
Collaboration, not just replacement
The World Bank cautions that high AI exposure does not necessarily mean workers will lose their jobs, because the technology can also help employees perform their tasks more efficiently. Around 18 per cent of employed workers in Pakistan hold jobs with both high AI exposure and strong potential for human-AI collaboration.
Only 8 per cent work in highly exposed occupations with limited opportunities for AI assistance, suggesting a smaller proportion of jobs face a greater risk of replacement. Real estate and education have the greatest potential to benefit from AI-assisted work, as the technology can complement existing job responsibilities.
However, wholesale and retail trade has both a large workforce and high AI exposure, making it particularly important to Pakistan’s transition toward AI-driven workplaces.
What Pakistan must do
The report warns that AI’s impact will depend on how businesses and workers adopt the technology. Access to relevant skills and supporting investments will determine whether AI creates productivity gains or leads to job displacement.
That warning lands with extra weight because of what the government itself admitted this month. The IT ministry conceded that AI is not working in rural Pakistan, citing barriers that must be overcome before the technology can reach most of the population. The gap between a services sector that the World Bank flags as highly exposed and a rural economy the government says is not even connected to AI is, in effect, the country’s digital divide expressed as labour-market risk.
The report highlights the importance of preparing Pakistan’s workforce for changing job requirements while encouraging businesses to adopt AI to improve productivity. Skills, the Bank suggests, are the difference between disruption and displacement.
Frequently asked questions
What did the World Bank report say about AI and jobs in Pakistan?
The report “Job Opportunities and AI in Pakistan” found that 61% of services sector workers are in occupations with above-median AI exposure, with wholesale and retail trade, finance, insurance, real estate and education most affected.
Does high AI exposure mean job losses?
Not necessarily. The Bank says 18% of workers are in jobs with strong potential for human-AI collaboration, while only 8% are in highly exposed jobs with limited assistance potential.
Which sectors face the least AI exposure?
Agriculture has less than 1% exposure, followed by other industrial sectors at 5% and manufacturing at 7%.
*Source: ProPakistani, October 22, 2026*
