Poorer workers hardest hit by strong arm of robotics
A new report by the Boston Consulting Group has found that as automation increases, poorer workers within the UK will generally be most at risk of losing their jobs. According to the report, soft skills such as communication and leadership will become more valuable as jobs are lost to machines. Those who grew up affluent will benefit from this, largely because they have more opportunities and more time to develop these skills. Employers will also have to continually retrain workers due to the increased pace of technological change. Poorer workers, who are the least likely to receive training, will face the greatest risk of job loss. Paraprofessional jobs, largely viewed as essential to social mobility, are particularly at risk as companies shift to utilizing AI and cloud-based services. In order to fill skills gaps and ensure that social mobility continues to benefit those with lower socioeconomic status, those at the Boston Consulting Group recommend that the UK looks into increasing investment in training young people by emphasizing STEM subjects and apprenticeships.
See "Poorer workers hardest hit by strong arm of robotics", Sarah O'Connor, Financial Times, July 10, 2017