Up to 800,000 jobs in Paraguay are exposed to the impact of artificial-intelligence (AI) automation, according to an estimate attributed to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The figure could reach 1.5 million affected positions by 2035 if occupational-transition measures do not advance, but exposure does not necessarily mean that roles will be fully replaced.
The risk is greater in call centers, telemarketing, customer service and basic technical support — areas that employ many young people in their first jobs. Generative AI systems and voice assistants can already answer questions, manage collections and record complaints, reducing costs and potentially changing demand for operators.
The International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency dedicated to promoting decent work, estimates that one in four jobs in Latin America will undergo structural changes or could be directly replaced by AI. In Paraguay, five out of 10 companies reportedly use artificial-intelligence tools, mainly in hiring filters and selection processes, according to the data presented in the report.
The effect is likely to be uneven. While repetitive tasks are becoming more vulnerable, demand is growing for professionals able to develop, operate and supervise automated systems. AI technicians and data-management specialists are among the new profiles in demand.
The Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security (MTESS), which is responsible for the country's labor and social-security policies, faces the challenge of keeping pace with the speed of this change. The central question for Paraguayan workers is how long they will need to acquire digital skills before automation reduces opportunities in their current occupations.
The National Professional Promotion Service (SNPP), a public vocational-training institution, has been reshaping its course offerings with training focused on technology and the supervision of automated systems. The measure seeks to turn pressure on entry-level jobs into a transition toward higher-skilled roles, although the available figures do not make it possible to determine how many positions will actually be eliminated.
For companies and workers, the change is no longer a distant forecast: AI tools are being adopted within recruitment and customer-service processes. The outcome will depend on training policies, access to courses and the creation of jobs that use the new skills, especially for young people who currently enter the labor market through call centers.