# World Bank: 61% of Pakistan's service workers are in jobs highly exposed to AI, against 1% in farming

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/ai/world-bank-61percent-of-pakistans-service-workers-are-in-jobs-highly-exposed-to)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 22 Oct 2026
Updated: 22 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 25 Oct 2026

> Shops, banks, insurance, property and schools are most exposed, the World Bank's new Pakistan Development Update finds. Most of those jobs could be helped by AI rather than replaced.

**61% of Pakistan's service-sector workers** are employed in jobs with above-median exposure to artificial intelligence, the **World Bank** says in its latest **Pakistan Development Update**, which includes a chapter titled *Job Opportunities and AI in Pakistan*. Business Recorder reported the findings on Thursday.

## Where AI exposure is highest

| Sector | Share of workers in highly AI-exposed jobs |
|---|---|
| Services overall | 61% |
| Manufacturing | 7% |
| Other industry | 5% |
| Agriculture | under 1% |

Inside services, more than **80% of workers** in **wholesale and retail trade, finance and insurance, real estate and education** are in highly exposed occupations, the report says. These are jobs built on handling information: paperwork, accounts, customer queries, record keeping and teaching material.

## Helped or replaced?

Exposure does not mean a job disappears. The World Bank splits exposed jobs into two kinds:

- **High exposure, high complementarity** (AI is likely to help the worker do more): about **18% of employed Pakistanis in 2024**. Real estate and education fall mainly here.
- **High exposure, low complementarity** (AI could do the work instead): about **8%**.

**Wholesale and retail trade** is the sector to watch, the report says, because it employs a very large number of people and is highly exposed, with many jobs in both groups. Agriculture, which still employs a big share of the workforce, is almost untouched for now.

Overall, Pakistan's average AI exposure score in 2024 was **0.48 standard deviations below the median occupation**, roughly in line with other emerging and developing economies.

## What it means for you

- **Office, bank and shop staff:** the skills that hold value are the ones AI does badly: dealing with customers face to face, judgment, checking AI output and knowing the local market.
- **Teachers and estate agents:** the report sees room for AI to raise productivity rather than cut jobs, so learning the tools is the practical move.
- **Freelancers:** AI-assisted work is already a big part of Pakistan's IT export story. If you are paid from abroad, work out your tax with the [freelancer tax calculator](/tools/tax/freelancer-tax-calculator) and see what a raise means with the [salary increment calculator](/tools/finance/salary-increment-calculator).

The report's point is that the economy-wide effect depends on how many people work in each sector, not just how exposed the jobs are, which is why retail matters more than smaller, more exposed fields.

## Frequently asked questions

**Which jobs in Pakistan are most exposed to AI?**

The World Bank says more than 80% of workers in wholesale and retail trade, finance and insurance, real estate and education are in highly AI-exposed occupations.

## Sources

- AI could reshape Pakistan's labour market, puts service-sector jobs in focus: World Bank (Business Recorder): https://www.brecorder.com/news/40445428/ai-could-reshape-pakistans-labour-market-puts-service-sector-jobs-in-focus-world-bank

How to cite: "World Bank: 61% of Pakistan's service workers are in jobs highly exposed to AI, against 1% in farming", Searchable, 22 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/ai/world-bank-61percent-of-pakistans-service-workers-are-in-jobs-highly-exposed-to