McKinsey Report: 11 Million U.S. Workers May Need to Change Occupations by 2035

By chasecodewell // 2026-10-08

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Report Details Income Loss Risk and Transition

Six out of seven affected workers could face income loss, according to the McKinsey report [2]. Annual occupation switching could roughly triple from the historical flow of about 215,000 workers a year, the report stated [3][4]. McKinsey estimates that roughly 770,000 workers would need to move into a new job each year, about 3.6 times the historical average [5]. The report also estimates that AI and related economic growth could create more jobs than they displace, but that outcome requires companies to redesign workflows and invest in retraining [1]. Office, retail and logistics roles are among the most exposed, the report stated [6][7]. Lower-income workers face the biggest disruption, according to the report [6]. Prior McKinsey Global Institute data claimed that 44% of jobs in Singapore are automatable, representing a third of the workforce that would need to be upskilled and retrained, according to Nancy W. Gleason.

Historical Precedents for Labor Market Disruption

Automation has already produced measurable displacement. Automation led to the loss of 670,000 manufacturing jobs between 1990 and 2007, according to a report published in the National Bureau of Economic Research, with authors cautioning that the number could rise as more industries become automated [8]. A separate Forrester Research study claimed that around 15 million new jobs would be created in the U.S. over the following decade as a result of automation [8]. The historical pattern also includes disruptions that workers experience as personal disorientation. Young workers have left office jobs for manual labor on farms, driven by burnout and a desire for change, according to one account [9]. Much of the story of how the corporate contract with American workers has disintegrated over the past 60 to 70 years is captured in Rick Wartzman's book The End of Loyalty, which documents how the value of a job to many workers in America has declined over time, according to K. Gregg Elliott.

Debate Over AI Job Loss Narratives

Other analysts have described the challenge as mobility rather than scarcity. "The challenge in the next decade is mobility, not scarcity," McKinsey researchers stated [10][11].

Conclusion: Transition and Uncertainty

The report also states that AI could create more jobs than it destroys if employers redesign workflows so people and AI complement each other and invest heavily in retraining [1]. The report does not resolve how quickly the transition will occur or whether retraining programs will match the pace of displacement. Readers tracking labor market trends and independent analysis can find additional coverage at NaturalNews.com. For those seeking to build new skills or explore alternative career paths, BrightLearn.ai offers a free book library where users can generate their own books for free.

References

Particle: McKinsey Says AI Could Force 11 Million U.S. Workers to.... https://particle.news/story/mckinsey-says-ai-could-force-11-million-us-workers-to-change-occupations-by-2035
11 Million US Workers May Need To Switch Careers... | ZeroHedge. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/11-million-us-workers-may-need-switch-careers
AI Could Force 11 Million U.S. Workers Into New Careers, McKinsey.... https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/09-29-2026-ai-could-force-11-million-u-s-workers-into-new-careers-mckinsey-says-371770698465081
McKinsey: AI May Force 11M U.S. Workers to Switch. https://www.briefs.co/news/mckinsey-ai-could-force-11-million-americans-to-shift-jobs-b/
AI Could Create More American Jobs, But Millions Will Have To ... - Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/courtney-connley-hampton/2026/09/30/ai-could-force-11-million-americans-into-new-careers-by-2035-new-report-predicts/
AI could force 11 million Americans to switch jobs by 2035, McKinsey.... https://www.moneycontrol.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-could-force-11-million-americans-to-switch-jobs-by-2035-mckinsey-say-article-14040788.html
AI could displace 11M US workers by 2035: McKinsey. https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/business/millions-of-us-workers-will-lose-jobs-due-to-ai/story
Just ONE robot eliminates SIX jobs analysis finds human labor rapidly becoming obsolete - NaturalNews.com, April 13, 2017
Young workers ditching the office to work on farms - NaturalNews.com, October 18, 2021
11 million Americans are about to change jobs because of AI. https://www.vietnam.vn/en/11-trieu-nguoi-my-sap-phai-doi-nghe-vi-ai
AI Jobs US 2035: 11 Million Workers May Need to Change.... https://thefinrate.com/ai-could-create-more-us-jobs-than-it-displaces-but-11-million-workers-may-need-to-switch-careers/

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