The employment population ratio measures the civilian labor force currently employed as a percentage of the total working-age population. Currently (as of June 2024) this stands at 60.1% for the United States. The two noteworthy dips in U.S. employment over the past twenty years came with the 2008 recession and the 2020 Covid pandemic. There is now growing anxiety that the upcoming AI revolution might displace jobs on an even greater scale, in everything from art to software engineering.

One counterargument to said anxiety is that, while the industrial revolution displaced some jobs, new jobs were created, with the net effect that employment actually increased. For example, horse carriage drivers lost their jobs driving carriages, but the rising industry of automotive manufacturing provided many new opportunities.

What will happen to employment after AGI is an issue that will affect—arguably—most people alive today, as well as the next generation. Importantly, experts disagree on what will happen. Forecasts on this question will therefore hopefully help shed light on the future of work.