Op-ed: AI is changing the labor market landscape for youth - urgent need for targeted measures
Researchers, in collaboration with the Labor Market's AI Council, are presenting a new study in DN Debatt today that illustrates how generative AI is reshaping the Swedish labor market. The results are clear: while employment for young people in AI-exposed occupations had fallen by as much as 5.5 percent by early 2025, an increase has been observed among professionals over 50.
The new study (Lodefalk, Löthman, Koch och Engberg, 2026) demonstrates for the first time that the pattern previously identified in international research is now visible in the Swedish labor market: employment in AI-exposed occupations is declining among the youth. The research also indicates that the broad decline in job postings Sweden has experienced since 2022 coincides with the economic slowdown rather than the rise of AI. The conclusion is that, at present, AI does not primarily affect the total number of jobs, but rather who gets them.
AI Sweden emphasizes that technology must be used to bolster opportunities for the next generation in the workforce. To address this shift, substantial investments in skills are required, along with an education system that better equips young people for careers where AI is a core professional tool.
We are seeing AI impact the Swedish labor market here and now. To safeguard Sweden’s competitiveness, we must respond to these developments with targeted initiatives that enhance opportunities for young people entering the workforce. We need to make AI a door-opener rather than a new barrier to the job market.
Moa Tivell
Senior Public Policy Manager at AI Sweden
Read the full opinion piece and the proposed measures on DN Debatt.
About the Labor Market AI Council
The Labor Market AI Council is an initiative by AI Sweden in collaboration with partner organizations among labor market representatives. The Council aims to create a shared understanding of how AI is transforming the labor market and to foster conditions for transition and skills supply. Its methodology combines collective learning, perspective sharing, and insights with a clear focus on actionable steps to strengthen Sweden’s labor market, competitiveness, and growth during this rapid shift.
Council members include Akavia, Almega, Ciko, DIK, Fremia, Svensk Handel, and Unionen, providing a strong foundation in the service sector, knowledge-intensive professions, retail, and parts of the welfare, civil society, and non-profit sectors.
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