It’s a question we all ask ourselves, yet we struggle to find an answer: could artificial intelligence surpass us to the point of taking our jobs? A study conducted by Coface and the Employment Observatory — revealed by Le Monde on March 18, 2026 — has attempted to answer this question, and the results are concerning. According to the two organizations, the arrival of generative AI could pose a threat to 16.3% of employees in both the private and public sectors in France.
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Towards task automation?
« Nearly 5 million jobs in France are at risk by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, there are about 2.5 million unemployed people in the country today. AI will have a macroeconomic impact », says Aurélien Duthoit, an economist at Coface, speaking to Échos. To reach such conclusions, the researcher, alongside Axelle Arquié, founder of the Observatory for Threatened and Emerging Jobs, analyzed the tasks that could be automated or not in various professions. They found that 30% or more of tasks could be automated.If tasks can be performed by AI, the job is classified as "at risk."
The United Kingdom, the most at-risk country
France is far from being the most vulnerable country. The United Kingdom leads with 19.5% of jobs threatened. It is followed by the Netherlands (19%), Canada (17.6%), Germany (17.5%), Poland (17.5%), Sweden (17.3%), the United States (16.8%), and then France.
Which professions are at the highest risk? “All jobs that have a strong cognitive component [...] that require formally established expertise and deal with information are at risk ,” says Axelle Arquié. The legal, media, publishing, IT, and accounting fields could be particularly affected. Manual jobs...seem to be more épargnés from the AI threat.
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