Youth employment has fallen sharply in sectors highly exposed to artificial intelligence (AI) technology since the emergence of generative AI chatbots, a central bank report showed Tuesday. Over the four-year period from June 2022 to June 2026, the number of jobs held by people aged 15 to 29 fell by 285,000, according to the report published by the Bank of Korea (BOK). Of the total decline, 268,000 jobs, or 94 percent, were in sectors highly exposed to AI, such as information technology (IT) services, publishing, computer programming and professional services. In contrast, the number of jobs held by people in their 50s rose by 230,000 over the same period, with 173,000 of the increase coming from AI-exposed sectors. The report set 2022 as the starting point for the study, as ChatGPT was launched late that year. By sector, youth employment fell 31.4 percent over the cited period in IT services, while it declined 27.4 percent in publishing, which includes software and web design professionals. Youth employment decreased 16.6 percent in computer programming and 11.6 percent in professional se