By Huzefa Aliasger, Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, October 25. (Daily Mirror) – The World Bank has highlighted a rapid rise in demand for artificial intelligence (AI) skills across South Asia, including Sri Lanka, noting that this trend is beginning to influence hiring patterns. Between January 2023 and March 2025, the share of AI-related job postings in the region more than doubled, increasing from 2.9% to 6.5%, growing approximately 75% faster than non-AI job listings.

The analysis shows that around 22% of jobs in South Asia are exposed to AI. Most of these roles—nearly 70%—are considered AI-complementary,” meaning workers are likely to use AI as a tool rather than be replaced by it. Examples include teachers, lawyers, architects, and R&D professionals.

Only about 7% of jobs are classified as high-risk, highly exposed to AI with low complementarity. Roles such as call-center agents, accountants, and proofreaders have already seen a decline in job postings following the launch of tools like ChatGPT.

Despite the moderate risk of displacement, the World Bank warns that South Asia is less prepared than other regions to fully capitalize on AI due to gaps in digital infrastructure, skills, innovation capacity, and regulatory frameworks.

The report also notes that Nepal has the lowest average exposure to AI, while Bhutan and Sri Lanka show the highest exposure rates, reflecting their relatively more skilled and educated workforces. AI-exposed jobs, which tend to be better paying, account for 42% of all wage earnings in these countries.