A new report from the ChatGPT maker reveals that only 14% of EU jobs face high automation potential, far less than in the US
OpenAI wants Europe to stop thinking about AI’s labor impact as a single continental problem. Aaron “Ronnie” Chatterji, the company’s chief economist, told policymakers on Monday that EU member states need individualized game plans for managing how artificial intelligence reshapes their workforces.
The message, delivered at POLITICO’s AI and the Future of Work event, came alongside a new OpenAI report that puts hard numbers behind a claim most people already suspected: Europe and America have very different economies, and cookie-cutter AI policy won’t work for either of them.
What the numbers actually say #
OpenAI’s “AI Jobs Transition Framework for the EU” breaks down the bloc’s labor market using ESCO taxonomy and Eurostat data. The headline finding: only 14% of jobs in the EU are classified as having high automation potential. That’s notably smaller than the equivalent figure in the United States.
But “not easily automated” doesn’t mean “untouched.” The report flags that 27% of EU jobs will require significant reorganization. These aren’t roles that disappear overnight. They’re roles where the daily work changes enough that workers need retraining, new tools, or fundamentally different skill sets.
Another 12% of EU employment falls into what the report calls growth occupations, jobs that AI is likely to create or expand rather than eliminate. And a full 47% of roles sit in a category that’s less likely to face imminent disruption from current AI capabilities.
Who is Chatterji and why does this matter #
Chatterji became OpenAI’s first chief economist on October 22, 2024. His mandate is to study the macroeconomic implications of AI, specifically how it affects economic growth, productivity, and labor-force transformation. Before joining the company, he served in the Biden administration and held a professorship at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
The EU framework builds on a US version that OpenAI published in April 2026. Releasing a Europe-specific analysis suggests the company is trying to get ahead of regulatory momentum in Brussels, where the EU AI Act has already established the world’s most comprehensive AI governance regime.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our