Half Of UK Workers Express Concerns Their Job Will Be Automated In Next Decade

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about how robots could possibly be taking jobs away from humans in the future, and another piece of research has just emerged with further findings after questioning British workers.

This particular survey comes courtesy of Protecting.co.uk (a business law consultancy), and it found that 76 per cent of employees in the UK believed their job could be done by a robot.

Indeed, 56 per cent believed that their job could be automated within the next decade, with 18 per cent admitting that some of their workload was already taken care of by a machine.

Only a quarter of those questioned felt that their job was “machine-proof”, in other words, there was no possibility whatsoever of them being replaced by a robot or machine of some kind.

However, Protecting.co.uk notes that even those who are highly trained with specialist jobs could find the metallic fingers of a robot tapping them on the shoulder one day, and telling them to clear out their desk.

Protecting.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall commented: “In fact, just about the only people who don’t fear for their future are business owners or managers. And that’s mainly because they think they’ll one day be managing a completely mechanised workforce, like some sort of evil overlord.”

Jobs such as factory workers and taxi drivers are in particular peril, with the rise of automated production lines and autonomous cars.

Ahmad, a taxi driver who was one of those surveyed, said: “I’ve seen these driverless cars in America. Just hook them up to a sat-nav and I’m out of a job. Then what?”

Lewis, a journalist who works for a leading national publication, chipped in: “We’ve already got machine translation and computers writing copy for major newspapers and news agencies. As an industry, I say we’re pretty much doomed. In fact, I know at least one publication where the horoscopes haven’t been touched by human hand for years.”

On a more positive note, Protecting.co.uk does also note that the rise of the robots does not necessarily mean jobs will be lost wholesale. Hall observed: “Think of it this way, most workplaces still have a staffed canteen where you can get a meal or a cup of tea, even though vending machines are a reality.”