Israel’s foray into the AI domain has been more of a tango than a jolting electric slide. Imagine—against doomsday forecasts—only 9% of businesses trimmed jobs due to AI. Meanwhile, the hi-tech sector‘s got its groove back, with salaries at a jaw-dropping ₪43,085. Everyone’s itching to know: Are boring tasks finally a thing of the past? Well, some are! But AI’s impact on employment remains an enigma wrapped in a digital poncho. Curious for more tech tea?
While everyone else is losing sleep over AI taking over their jobs, Israel seems to be handling it with just a minor shrug. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 28% of Israeli businesses integrated AI in the last six months, mirroring the EU average yet trailing behind Germany’s zealous 44%. Fascinating.
However, in Israel, AI isn’t the cold-hearted job slasher it was made out to be. Only 9% of businesses reported job cuts due to AI—much less than the apocalyptic predictions of mass unemployment. Even more intriguing, employment effects from AI are three times higher in knowledge-intensive industries, highlighting sector-specific impacts. This digital divide] raises concerns about AI potentially deepening existing gaps between high-tech and non-high-tech sectors.
Sure, there are sectors feeling the AI love a bit more than others. The hi-tech industry is practically throwing AI parties, doubling AI-related jobs in just six months, and offering salaries high enough to make mere mortals swoon—about ₪43,085 (~$11,500) monthly.
Meanwhile, traditional industries like manufacturing and trade are giving AI the side-eye, preferring their spreadsheets and paper to the flashy C++ and Python algorithms boosting tech jobs.
Workers aren’t being fired left and right, but AI doesn’t seem to be playing fair across the board, either. It’s all about *balance*. While AI handles monotony with aplomb, freeing human hands for higher-level tasks, it also makes some roles obsolete faster than a blockbuster that goes straight to DVD.
But isn’t that the whole premise of the compliments vs. substitutes debate—just like the fierce rivalry between cats and dogs?
About 32% of employees find themselves in AI-using businesses, even if AI hasn’t quite charmed every workplace yet. For Israel, AI seems more of a friendly coworker than a hostile takeover artist—turning tasks mundane to marvelous, boosting productivity, and yes, even job satisfaction.
Long story short, the apocalypse hasn’t arrived in Israel—at least not for now. AI’s impact remains a wildcard, still being studied, much to the delight of anyone who ever wanted to be a guinea pig in the grand tech experiment.
Maybe it’s time for experts to loosen the ties a bit. After all, it looks like AI’s bark over job destruction was perhaps louder than its silicon bite.