UK AI-and-jobs research tracker
Updated · 10 sources
This tracker records which research we use and what we check when a new release arrives. Exposure studies, business surveys and employment data answer different questions. We date source checks, revise affected guides when the evidence changes, and keep earlier conclusions visible in a changelog. We do not treat a new headline as a prediction.
Release log
Newest release first. Each entry names the guides we revised because of it.
Released · logged · UK
Vacancies and jobs in the UK: October 2026 (Office for National Statistics)
Construction had the largest fall in vacancies of any industry on the quarter. We use it beside construction recruitment forecasts.
Guides revised: Desk job to trade
Released · logged · US
Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence (Stanford Digital Economy Lab)
Revised paper: the employment gap for young US workers in AI-exposed occupations has widened, with still no sign of economy-wide displacement.
Guides revised: AI job statistics, checked
Released · logged · UK
Artificial intelligence in UK businesses (Office for National Statistics)
Business use of AI has risen but stays shallow. Construction reports much lower use than information and communication, and few businesses report cutting staff.
Guides revised: Will AI take my job?, AI job statistics, checked
Released · logged · UK
Construction Workforce Outlook 2026–2030: United Kingdom (Construction Industry Training Board (CITB))
Forecasts the recruitment construction needs above current levels. Electrical installation trades sit below the industry's average rate.
Guides revised: Desk job to trade
Released · logged · London
London's workforce exposure to generative artificial intelligence (GLA Economics (Greater London Authority))
London is more exposed to generative AI than the UK average. Work done in person, including skilled trades and care, is less directly exposed, though no sector is likely to be untouched.
Guides revised: Are any jobs AI-proof?
Released · logged · UK
Assessment of AI capabilities and the impact on the UK labour market (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the AI Security Institute)
Government review: exposure indices are indicative, and falling hiring in exposed occupations does not yet show AI is the cause.
Guides revised: Will AI take my job?, Are any jobs AI-proof?, AI job statistics, checked, AI and jobs glossary
How we update this research
- Watch for new publisher releases and record them here.
- Read the primary source and its method before editing an affected guide.
- Record what changed in the guide’s changelog and update its visible date only for a substantive change.
- Keep the source check date separate from the guide update date.
What the evidence says
Occupation exposure
The Department for Education compares UK occupation groups by task exposure. Its ranks are the basis of our job check.
Source: Department for Education (Unit for Future Skills) · 28 November 2023 · UK
What evidence can say
The government's later assessment warns that exposure indices are indicative, and that falling hiring in exposed jobs does not yet show AI is the cause. It is a standing check against turning a rank into a personal forecast.
Source: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the AI Security Institute · 28 January 2026 · UK
Adoption is measured separately
The ONS business survey tracks which firms use AI at all. Among businesses with ten or more employees the share was around 35 per cent in June 2026, and it was lower in construction.[1] Use is a different question from exposure.
Source: Office for National Statistics · 20 July 2026 · UK
Older models ask a different question
An ONS automation model of jobs in England, built before generative AI, scored programmers 0.27 and electricians 0.51.[2] We keep it in view because it shows how much a study's method decides its answer.
Source: Office for National Statistics · 25 March 2019 · England
The practical route
The National Careers Service describes the actual tasks and training route for electricians. A research rank cannot replace that career check.
Source: National Careers Service · undated · England
What it doesn’t tell you
- A new edition can revise an earlier finding; the source date and page update date serve different purposes.
- Career profiles describe typical duties, not every workplace or employer.
- A source can be credible and still address a question too narrow for your own career decision.
- Business surveys rely on what firms report, and the ONS labels its AI figures as official statistics in development.
- Some publishers' full reports could not be opened for checking. Each guide says where that limits a claim.
DfE caveat: The analysis measures the exposure of jobs to AI, rather than distinguishing whether a job will be augmented (aided) or replaced (substituted) by AI.
What would change our advice?
An updated occupation study could change the exposure comparison; employer surveys could show wider use; employment data could show changes in hiring. We would read each against its own method and limitations before changing a conclusion. A new model capability alone does not establish that employers have replaced workers.
Read the source: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the AI Security Institute
If you’re weighing up a trade
Start with the question you actually have, then open the guide and its original source. Try practical electrical learning only if the work itself interests you.
Common questions
- How do you update a guide?
- We log a new release here, re-read its primary source, update the affected guide and explain the substantive change in that guide's changelog.
- How often are sources checked?
- We aim to re-open cited sources quarterly and watch fast-moving releases more often. The checked date beside each source shows what happened, not a promise.
- What do you watch most closely?
- ONS releases on vacancies and on business use of AI, revisions to the Stanford payroll study, and any indicator updates from the government's AI and the Future of Work Unit.
- Can an old study still matter?
- Yes, if its method is labelled and compared with newer evidence. An older estimate should not be presented as a current forecast.
Sources and checks
1.Artificial intelligence in UK businesses · Office for National Statistics
Published: 20 July 2026. Checked: 23 October 2026. Coverage: UK. Kind: survey. Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
- around 35 per cent in June 2026: of UK businesses with ten or more employees using at least one AI technology (UK, survey). Self-reported use in a business survey; official statistics in development.
Supports: Business use of AI and reported headcount effects. Conflict: None declared in this source record.
2.The probability of automation in England · Office for National Statistics
Published: 25 March 2019. Checked: 23 October 2026. Coverage: England. Kind: official statistic. Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
- 0.27: ONS automation score for programmers and software development professionals (England, official statistic). A score from zero to one in a task model built before today's generative-AI tools; not a forecast.
- 0.51: ONS automation score for electricians and electrical fitters, England, 2017 data (England, official statistic). A score from zero to one in a task model built before today's generative-AI tools; not a forecast.
Supports: The pre-generative-AI automation model for England. Conflict: None declared in this source record. Data file
3.The impact of AI on UK jobs and training · Department for Education (Unit for Future Skills)
Published: 28 November 2023. Checked: 23 October 2026. Coverage: UK. Kind: exposure index. Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
Supports: UK occupation exposure ranking. Conflict: None declared in this source record. Data file
4.Assessment of AI capabilities and the impact on the UK labour market · Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the AI Security Institute
Published: 28 January 2026. Checked: 23 October 2026. Coverage: UK. Kind: evidence review. Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
Supports: Government evidence assessment and limitations. Conflict: None declared in this source record.
5.Vacancies and jobs in the UK: October 2026 · Office for National Statistics
Published: 20 October 2026. Checked: 23 October 2026. Coverage: UK. Kind: official statistic. Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
Supports: Logged release: vacancies by industry. Conflict: None declared in this source record.
6.Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence · Stanford Digital Economy Lab
Published: 12 August 2026. Checked: 23 October 2026. Coverage: US. Kind: working paper. Licence: © authors; short citation only.
Supports: Logged release: the 12 August 2026 revision of a US payroll study first released in August 2025. Conflict: None declared in this source record.
7.Construction Workforce Outlook 2026–2030: United Kingdom · Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)
Published: 17 June 2026. Checked: 23 October 2026. Coverage: UK. Kind: forecast. Licence: © CITB; figures cited with attribution.
Supports: Logged release: construction workforce forecast. Conflict: CITB is the construction industry's training board and argues for more recruitment and training.
8.London's workforce exposure to generative artificial intelligence · GLA Economics (Greater London Authority)
Published: 30 April 2026. Checked: 23 October 2026. Coverage: London. Kind: exposure index. Licence: © Greater London Authority; short citation only.
Supports: Logged release: London exposure study. Conflict: None declared in this source record.
9.Electrician: job profile · National Careers Service
Published: undated. Checked: 23 October 2026. Coverage: England. Kind: career profile. Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
Supports: Electrician duties and training route. Conflict: None declared in this source record.
10.Open Government Licence v3.0 · The National Archives
Published: undated. Checked: 22 October 2026. Coverage: UK. Kind: licence. Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0.
Supports: Attribution terms for public sector material. Conflict: None declared in this source record.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. No publisher endorses TradeTraining or this guide.
Changelog
- : Added practical questions for interpreting the evidence and structured data for the visible FAQs.
- : Added the dated release log, the ONS business survey and the ONS automation model, and re-opened the sources used by every guide.
- : Opened the tracker and recorded the sources used by the first guides.