Economic report says 82 occupations have been 'AI-disrupted'

Lisa Harmer lost her job in communications and marketing and says AI has reshaped her job prospects. (ABC News: Billy Cooper)

A new economic report by consultancy firm Deloitte says the AI "winners" will be organisations that combine human and machine strengths, with recruiters saying human judgement will still be key.

Deloitte says AI is shifting the job market, not necessarily through cuts but role transformations.

It says employment is still growing, but hiring is starting to slow down as a result of AI.

A new Deloitte report has marked 2026 "the year of AI" and said the real "winners" will be organisations that thoughtfully combine human and machine strengths.

The quarterly employment forecast from the major consultancy firm suggests AI is reshaping the labour market, but not necessarily through job losses.

Deloitte Access Economics partner David Rumbens says occupations where human skills remained central were more likely to benefit.

David Rumbens says jobs where human skills remain central will benefit from AI. (Supplied)

"That includes roles like CEOs, teachers and nurses, where AI can boost productivity, but the human element is still critical."

Recruitment specialist Evelina Samuels agreed that the current labour market was seeing a job transformation.

"What were once highly operational administration roles are now far more analytical," she said.

Evelina Samuels says workers should work with AI and not against it. (Supplied)

"Junior positions are being redesigned into 'people analytics' roles, focused on interpreting the data generated by AI doing the heavy lifting."

Ms Samuels said recent graduates and workers should focus on building capability that worked with AI, not against it.

"The people who will stand out aren't the ones who know every AI tool; they're the ones who can use it thoughtfully and apply judgement," she said.

There is still limited evidence of widespread job losses linked directly to AI.

The report found employment was still growing and redundancies remained relatively contained, with economists stressing AI was just one force shaping decisions alongside rising interest rates and broader economic uncertainty.

As more job applicants and employers use artificial intelligence, recruiters say the technology could be making hiring trickier.

The analysis points to a growing divide in the employment market, where some roles are expanding while others — particularly white-collar, knowledge-based jobs — are seeing a hiring slowdown.

In occupations most exposed to AI, including software programmers, web developers and