Will a Robot Take Your Job?
The Chart of the Week is a weekly Visual Capitalist feature on Fridays.
Are you ready to hand your job over to R2D2?
A recent study by the Mckinsey Global Institute forecasts up to 800 million workers worldwide could lose their jobs to automation by 2030.
Industrial machine operators, administrators, and service workers will be the first to take a hit. Meanwhile, poorer countries with lower investment in tech are less likely to feel the pinch.
Jobs in, Jobs Out
Today’s chart uses data from the Future of Jobs Report 2018 by the World Economic Forum to take a peek at the changes technology will bring over the next four years.
It shows while humans are handing over a larger share of labor hours to their robot counterparts, the future isn’t all bleak. Although 75 million jobs could be displaced by the coming shift in labor, there will be 133 million new jobs created as well. While certain jobs are becoming redundant, human skills remain in demand in other areas.
Here is the full list of jobs on the chopping block in 2022, as well as the careers that will rise in importance:
| Stable Roles | New Roles | Redundant Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Managing Directors and Chief Executives | Data Analysts and Scientists* | Data Entry Clerks |
| General and Operations Managers* | AI and Machine Learning Specialists | Accounting, Bookkeeping and Payroll Clerks |
| Software and Applications Developers and Analysts* | General and Operations Managers* | Administrative and Executive Secretaries |
| Data Analysts and Scientists* | Big Data Specialists | Assembly and Factory Workers |
| Sales and Marketing Professionals* | Digital Transformation Specialists | Client Information and Customer Service Workers* |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | Sales and Marketing Professionals* | Business Services and Administration Managers |
| Human Resources Specialists | New Technology Specialists | Accountants and Auditors |
| Financial and Investment Advisers | Organizational Development Specialists* | Material-Recording and Stock-Keeping Clerks |
| Database and Network Professionals | Software and Applications Developers and Analysts* | General and Operations Managers* |
| Supply Chain and Logistics Specialists | Information Technology Services | Postal Service Clerks |
Showing 1 to 10 of 22 entries
Source: Future of Jobs Survey 2018, World Economic Forum. Roles marked with * appear across multiple columns. This reflects the fact that they might be seeing stable or declining demand across one industry, but be in demand in another.
New Jobs for a New World
While this coming wave of automation is bound impact the workplace, for now you might want to leave that torch and pitchfork at home – the robots aren’t out to steal your job just yet.
Oxford University researchers predict 47% of American jobs are likely to face automation over the next 20 years. However, the same study reveals 53% of jobs are unlikely to be affected at all. Robots are less likely to take over roles dependent on human interaction – like doctors and teachers. Workers in specialized roles, such as plumbing and care work, can breathe easy too.
Jobs in manufacturing, transport, and administration may decrease. But a potential rise in health, science, tech, and hospitality jobs is likely to offset this trend.
So the real question is, will robots replace your job, or make room for you to pursue a new career?
