A new study has found that up to 3 million UK-based jobs could disappear in the next 10 years due to AI and automation.
Research from the National Foundation for Electrical Research (NFER) said that the number of jobs in high-risk occupations are declining faster than previously predicted, with the paper estimating that between 1 and 3 million will be gone by 2035.
Occupations where the risk of jobs disappearing due to AI and automation is highest include administrative and secretarial work, customer service, and machine operations.
The research found that while 3 million UK jobs will disappear due to increased automation in the next decade, the overall labour market is actually expected to continue growing.
Most job growth is expected to be within professional and associate professional occupations, however, and the number of low- and mid-skilled jobs is projected to decline at an increasing pace.
NFER identified the essential employment skills that will be needed by jobs 10 years from now and found severe shortages in these areas, which it said will continue to become worse without action and leave people unable to effectively navigate the labour market of the future.
The skills identified by the report are communication; collaboration; problem-solving; organising, planning & prioritising; creative thinking; and information literacy.
NFER found that around 3.7 million workers already have substantial shortfalls in the six skill areas listed above which are needed to do their jobs effectively. This is projected to increase to around 7 million by 2035 unless action is taken to help better prepare people for the evolving job market.
It added that if people were not supplied with the right skills, a shortage of skilled employees at the top end of the labour market could constrain economic growth and fewer jobs at the bottom could result in many people being out of work.
The results of a YouGov poll commissioned by NFER suggested that the general public might be unaware of the scale of the impact AI will have on their job and skills development.
According to the poll, 32% of workers think it is unlikely AI will affect their job in the next 10 years, compared with 53% who believe it is likely.
Only 24% of UK adults said they feel the government supports them to develop new skills, and 66% do not feel they are currently supported.
NFER said the findings of its report suggest extensive changes are required to ensure that people have the tools and support to continue learning and evolving their skills throughout their professional life in order to keep pace with the change induced by technology.
“The time has come to tackle this critical challenge head on, and we all have a role to play,” said NFER Co-Head of UK Policy and Practice Jude Hillary.
“Meeting projected skills shortages means a collective response from government, employers and across the education and skills systems.”
“We need to strengthen support in the early years, tackle inequalities in schools, strengthen pathways into growing jobs, and rebuild the adult skills system to deliver growth that benefits everyone,” Hillary said.
Leave a Reply