Malta tops AI automation risk list in service jobs

Planera has published a study ranking Malta as the country with the highest workforce exposure to AI automation, with a weighted AI exposure index of 46.56%.

The study assessed employment across economic sectors, matching official labour data with automation risk probabilities for each industry. Countries were ranked by the share of workers employed in roles judged likely to be replaced by AI, including jobs in hospitality, finance, retail and professional services.

Malta topped the list with a workforce of 332,800 and an estimated 155,000 workers at risk of replacement. Canada ranked second with an exposure index of 44.87%, followed by Greece at 44.84%, Cyprus at 44.77% and Luxembourg at 43.82%.

The Netherlands placed sixth with 43.67%, ahead of the United States at 43.63%, Spain at 43.35%, Belgium at 43.28% and Italy at 42.22%.

The figures also highlight the scale of potential disruption in larger labour markets. In the United States, an estimated 69,067,900 workers are in jobs exposed to replacement, the largest absolute total among the countries listed, out of a total workforce of 158,286,000.

Spain was estimated to have 10,010,400 workers in at-risk roles, while Italy had 12,136,900. Canada's total reached 3,977,600, and Greece's was 2,477,300.

Service Roles

The analysis argues that service-led economies face particular pressure because a large share of employment is concentrated in occupations with repetitive tasks. Malta, Greece and Cyprus were highlighted as countries where tourism, administration and professional services account for a significant share of jobs.

In Malta, the economy's reliance on administrative work, hospitality and professional services contributed to the highest measured exposure. The study also noted that the country's size may limit how easily workers can move into less exposed sectors.

Canada's ranking was linked to risks in information technology and hospitality. The research estimated that 75% of Canadian technology jobs could be automated soon, while food service roles carried a 72% replacement risk.

In Greece, accommodation and food services employ 730,000 people at a 72% replacement risk, according to the study. Wholesale and retail trade account for another 880,000 workers at a 51% risk.

Cyprus showed a similar pattern, with legal, accounting and scientific jobs facing a 70% automation risk and hospitality roles at 72%.

Luxembourg, which completed the top five, was described as more exposed in legal and accounting work than in finance. The study estimated that 70% of work in legal and accounting roles is replaceable, compared with 51% in finance.

Shift in Risk

The findings suggest that the threat from automation is no longer concentrated in factory work, where mechanisation has already reduced many routine tasks over several decades. Instead, clerical, retail and hospitality jobs appear to be a larger source of exposure in developed economies.

That shift may help explain why several of the highest-ranked countries are service-heavy economies rather than manufacturing centres. Smaller countries also feature prominently in the ranking, though larger economies account for far higher numbers of workers in exposed roles.

A Planera automation expert said the data shows stronger exposure in services than in industry.

"People think factory workers face the biggest automation threat, but the data shows service jobs are more at risk. Manufacturing was already automated decades ago, so the workers left are doing tasks robots can't handle yet. But admin assistants, retail clerks, and hospitality staff are all doing repetitive work that AI can learn quickly. These jobs make up huge portions of employment in developed countries, which is why places like Malta and Greece show such high exposure rates," the expert said.