86% of Workers Most at Risk from AI Are Women – How Admins Are Fighting Back

When the Brookings Institution found that 86% of workers most likely to lose jobs to AI are women—predominantly in administrative positions—it wasn't just a labor statistic. It was a wake-up call for HR departments overseeing millions of pink-collar workers whose roles are being transformed overnight. At the Administrative Professionals Conference, however, the narrative is shifting from fear to empowerment as women-led upskilling takes center stage. How HR leaders respond—with equitable training investment, bias-proof recognition, and career pathway redesign—will determine whether this becomes a story of inclusive growth or a widening gender gap.

At the recent Administrative Professionals Conference, a powerful narrative emerged: America’s administrative workforce, which is overwhelmingly female, is not waiting to be displaced by artificial intelligence—it is racing to become AI-proof. This shift is fueled by stark data from the Brookings Institution showing that 86% of workers most likely to lose their jobs to AI are women, with administrative and clerical roles among the top 10 most at-risk occupations. The conference, once a place for networking and traditional skill-building, now buzzes with sessions on how to prompt AI as an executive assistant, or how to wield Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini to work "smarter, not harder." The packed rooms signal a sea change from just three years ago, when admins viewed AI with deep skepticism. Back then, the fear was that incorporating AI would further devalue a field already diminished by its historical perception as "women’s work"—relegated to note-taking rather than strategic operations. Today, that calculus has flipped: failing to master AI is seen as the greater career risk.

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When the Brookings Institution found that 86% of workers most likely to lose jobs to AI are women—predominantly in administrative positions—it wasn't just a labor statistic.

This transformation carries profound market implications. Administrative professionals, estimated at over 3 million workers in the U.S., are a critical glue in corporate operations. Their pivot to AI represents a grassroots upskilling movement that could reshape how organizations approach automation—moving from top-down implementation to bottom-up augmentation. Debra Coleman, a 30-year veteran of the field who now teaches AI courses at the conference, notes that the mentality "our jobs are toast" has given way to proactive adaptation. Yet she highlights a thorny gender dynamic: a man who announces he’s integrating AI into his workflows is likely to be applauded, but a woman might be perceived as taking a crutch. This perception gap could influence how AI proficiency is valued and rewarded by management, potentially widening existing gender pay and promotion gaps even as women upskill.