Will your job exist in 10 years?
Will your job exist in 10 years? Melanie Burgess reports
Research reveals the most worried workers are those in customer service while those in healthcare feel the most secure.
SOME workers feel safer about their futures than others, but the idea of robots taking over jobs is front of mind across all industries.
Staff may feel more secure knowing their job requires human interaction, meaningful relationships or high levels of creativity, all of which are difficult to replicate with technology.
Independent research conducted on behalf of SEEK reveals workers in healthcare and medical roles are least worried about technology changing the way they work, with 92 per cent believing their job will still exist in a decade.
Those in Government and defence roles (91 per cent) and education and training roles (87 per cent) also are confident.
At the other end of the spectrum, the most worried workers are those in call centres and customer service, as 40 per cent do not expect their job to exist in 10 years.
About one in three procurement, manufacturing and transport service workers (30 per cent) and a quarter of administration and office support workers (23 per cent) also feel insecure.
Human Synergistics International chief executive and director Rob Cooke says strong worker morale and company culture can alleviate worries about job insecurity when new technology is introduced.
“In a way, the perception and attitudes towards automation are coloured by the (work) cultures in which people find themselves,” he says.
“Some have a very constructive and positive outlook. Others have a more defensive and reactive outlook.”
Human Synergistics Australia chairman Shaun McCarthy says the key to managing change is involving people with things that effect them.
“Lack of information leads to feelings of insecurity,” he says.
“If you read about it in the paper but do not hear about it at the organisation, you start to worry.
“The more an organisation can work on a company culture, the more chance in five or 10 years time they will look to grow rather than replace (with automation).”
Yarra Valley Water has been working on its organisational culture since 2001 and had positive results.
YVW executive manager for external services: culture and capability Anne Farquhar says the organisation has decreased staff turnover from 26 per cent to 6 per cent in that time.
“Our culture enables our people to see rapid technology change as an opportunity rather than a threat and we’ve been able to lead the way on innovations that create great outcomes for the community and new revenue streams for the organisation,” she says. “Change is not seen as a threat to jobs – the culture engenders trust and creativity thrives.”