Will a robot take your job?

According to research estimates, about 47 percent of US employment is at risk of being automated and about 35% of current jobs in the UK are likely to be replaced by robots in the next 20 years. In London, as reported by Deloitte, the main threat to jobs comes from advances in technology. The most likely jobs under threat are low paid, manual roles. 73% of businesses in London still plan to increase their headcount in the coming years but new hires are most likely to be in areas of know-how, creativity, management and entrepreneurship.

The London Futures paper goes further to state that, “looking forward, agility seems to be the key: an agile workforce with the skills to adapt to fast-changing job requirements; flexible use of working space to accommodate rapidly evolving work practices; and a city infrastructure that uses technology to support increasing numbers of people at home, work or play.”

Admin and manual roles most at risk

Jobs most at risk from technology are in administration, sales, services, transport, construction and extraction. 40% of UK jobs and 51% of London jobs still remain un-threatened. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the robotics and automation affected mostly middle-income workers. The skilled repetitive tasks were simplified so that they could be mechanised. The trend more recently has turned against the low-paid, low-skilled workers and it is forecast that to stay ahead of the game workers will need to invest in their creative and social skills.

Will a robot take your job?

To find out if your job is at risk, take the ‘Will a robot take your job’ test compiled by the BBC.