Korea's AI Adoption Rate to Reach 50% in 10 Years… Projected to Top Major Nations

South Korea's AI adoption rate is projected to approach 50% within the next 10 years, marking the highest figure among the G7 nations.

However, the Budget Office analyzed that the productivity boost would be somewhat limited because, unlike the U.S. and UK which have a high proportion of service industries with high AI utilization, Korea has the highest share of industries with low AI exposure, such as manufacturing, at 36.7% of GDP (with manufacturing at 28.7%).

Amidst this, employment shocks are also appearing. The number of employed persons in professional and scientific technical services has decreased for three consecutive quarters since the fourth quarter of last year, and employment in the manufacturing sector has also declined for eight consecutive quarters.

In response, the government plans to announce youth job measures in the third quarter of this year, including a plan to train over 200,000 professionals in advanced technology fields such as AI and semiconductors.