Foundation research: Workers oblivious to automation threat

TWO OUT of three workers most at risk of losing their jobs because of automation are oblivious to the threat, a new study suggests.

Research by innovation foundation Nesta found that most of those likely to be affected do not believe their job will be automated in the next decade.

Workers whose jobs are at risk are “woefully unprepared”, with one in three not having any formal training in the past five years and a further one in seven saying they had no training since leaving school or college.

Six million people work in jobs that are likely to change radically, or disappear altogether by 2030, said Nesta.

These include waiters and waitresses, shelf fillers, retail sales staff, farm workers and cleaners, it was predicted.

Ksenia Zheltoukhova, of Nesta, said: “People need to know what their future holds, so they can take action to prepare. If some two thirds of the most at-risk workers don’t know the truth of their situation, something is broken. We have an opportunity now to harness technology so that automation of some jobs is accompanied by creation of better ones, and people need information and training to develop skills for these new jobs.”

Nesta surveyed 1,200 adults for its study.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady, inset, said: “Workers whose jobs are going to be affected must have a say.

“A successful approach is the negotiation of new technology agreements between trade unions and employers. For example, a retain and re-train agreement can lead to higher skills, better jobs and higher productivity. “We need this approach in every workplace that automation is set to change.”

A study from Canada Life Group Insurance last month showed that two out of five workers believe cost-cutting is the main reason for increased automation in the workplace.

Only one in six of 1,000 adults surveyed said it is aimed at helping reduce staff fatigue. The research indicated that fewer than one in three workers accept more automation is aimed at improving productivity or the quality of business output.