Third of UK jobs at risk from robots in next 20 years

A third of UK jobs are at risk from robots replacing them within the next 20 years, according to a Deloitte report.

Research carried out by the Department of Engineering and Science at the University of Oxford found that 35 per cent of existing UK jobs are at risk of being replaced by technology.

The report also said that lower paid jobs are more than five times as likely to be replaced by robots than higher paid jobs.

However, the report found that additional digital skills will be needed to handle this type of technology and that 73 per cent of London businesses will increase the amount of employees to handle this.

Angus Knowles-Cutler, London senior partner at Deloitte, said: “Unless these changes coming in the next two decades are fully understood and anticipated by businesses, policy makers and educators, there will be a risk of avoidable unemployment and under-employment."

According to the report, 84 per cent of London businesses say that employees will need to adapt and change over the next decade.

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