As an Economic Consultant, you play a pivotal role in shaping the economic landscape by providing insightful analyses that drive business decisions and public policies. Your expertise not only influences corporate strategies but also impacts government initiatives, making this role crucial for sustainable growth and development in the UK and beyond.
AI exposure today: a modelled index, not a direct measurement of AI use in this job
No special protection
This work is being absorbed by AI
AI already does much of this work and nothing structurally requires a human - no licence, no physical task, no relationship at the core. Enter as the person directing the tools, not competing with them.
Economic Consultant: how AI changes this job over time
Today: AI exposure, a modelled index. Later columns: a Careermash scenario, not a forecast.
Now
5 yrs
10 yrs
20 yrs
AI exposure today, then Careermash scenario
50
68%
80%
88%
THE DOOR · Entry difficulty today (rule of thumb)
C - hard
What this means
Today's figure is an AI exposure index, not a direct measurement of how much AI is used in this job. The later figures are a Careermash scenario, not a forecast. We do not show a forecast of how many of these jobs there will be, or how hard it will be to get in later.
What we assume in the scenario: AI keeps getting cheaper and better; robots arrive more slowly. THE DOOR shows entry difficulty today only, as a Careermash rule of thumb from A (easy) to E (extremely hard); it is not a forecast or an official statistic.
How to aim for a Economic Consultant career
You're looking ahead at this job. By the time you join, AI will already do more of it - so aim for the part that will still need a person.
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1
Build skills AI cannot copy
When you start, AI will do most of the quick, routine work. So build the parts that stay human: good judgement, working well with people, and knowing one subject deeply. School subjects like English, maths and a science you enjoy give you that base.
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2
Learn to work with AI tools
The people who do well will use these tools to get real results, not fear them. Start now. Try AI tools on school projects and learn how to guide them to a good answer.
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3
Aim for the deciding work
Aim for the part of a job where a person still decides what to make, checks the AI's work, and owns the result. Keep your options open too, as the same skills suit nearby jobs that AI changes less.
Not sure yet? See careers that use similar skills further down.
Careers that use similar skills
Worth a look if you like the sound of this path. Each one shows how much AI affects it - greener means less.
A lower number means AI does less of the work. This job scores 50.
Sources: exposure dial - a Careermash index estimated from published AI-usage research (Anthropic labour market research, 2026); it is not a direct measurement of AI use in this job. Human necessity categories are based on OpenAI's AI Jobs Transition Framework. CareerMash maps these to UK careers and may apply UK-specific adjustments (this job is matched to O*NET "Economists", 19-3011.00). Scenario figures and entry difficulty are Careermash rules of thumb, not forecasts.