Employment Automation of jobs' risks increase in inequality

The automation of millions of jobs will increase inequality unless the government intervenes to support small businesses and workers through the transition, according to a report into the future of work.

- Phillip Inman

Ministers need to act in the interest of those made unemployed or whose jobs dramatically change, says the report by the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) thinktank, to prevent skills shortages hitting employers and workers from facing a loss of job satisfaction and wellbeing.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) software is expected to become widespread in factories, offices and in the public sector, the IFOW report said. However, a survey of 5,000 employees found "a pervasive sense of anxiety, fear and uncertainty" about AI technology and what it could do to their work.