Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Labour Market Outcomes: A Study of Employment Perceptions in Central Europe

Abstract

This research paper examines the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in organizations and three critical labour market outcomes: overall employment rates, job creation in emerging sectors, and job displacement in traditional industries. Drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 160 working professionals across various industries in Hungary and Central Europe, the study employs Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses to test three hypotheses. Results indicate statistically significant positive correlations between AI adoption and perceptions of employment rates (r = 0.311, p < 0.001), job creation (r = 0.498, p < 0.001), and job displacement (r = 0.459, p < 0.001). Notably, the relationship between AI adoption and job creation perceptions is stronger than that between AI adoption and job displacement perceptions, suggesting qualified optimism regarding AI's net employment effects within the Central European professional context. The study contributes individual worker-level perceptual evidence supporting the dual-effect model of AI and employment, extending the literature beyond macroeconomic analyses and beyond the traditional focus on Western economies. Policy implications for governments, educational institutions, and business leaders are discussed, emphasizing the critical role of institutional frameworks in determining whether AI adoption yields positive or negative employment outcomes.

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