Australia is set to lose 1.5million jobs within the next few years – here are the industries that will be worst affected
- A new study has forecast job numbers in Australia will shrink 11 per cent by 2030
- The rise in artificial intelligence and automation will render some roles obsolete
- Global technology research firm Forrester found 1.5million jobs will be culled
- Employees in finance, accounting and human resources are most at risk
- But 1.7million roles are tipped to be created as demand for digital skills rises
More than a million jobs are set to be wiped from the Australian economy within the next few years as the shift towards an automated workforce renders some roles obsolete.
Job numbers across the nation are forecast to plunge 11 per cent by 2030 as artificial intelligence and automation reshapes workforces globally, according to a new report.
A study by global technology research firm Forrester analysed 391 occupations tracked by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and found 1.5million jobs would be slashed in some sectors as positions are replaced by digital technology.
Australia is set to lose 1.5million jobs over the next few years as digital technology transforms the workforce
Employees in finance, accounting, clerical roles, and human resources, who perform highly structured administrative tasks are most at risk, with automation likely to eliminate a million of those jobs first.
By 2030, it is estimated more than half of the jobs in this category will be replaced by automated systems.
While the demand for leaders to facilitate changes in organisations will remain unchanged, the need for co-ordinators in middle management is also expected to decline.
Although some industries will bear the brunt of transformation to the labour landscape, others are tipped to boom.
As automation becomes more advanced, 1.7million jobs will be created by 2030 while as many as one in three workers will transform into the online gig economy.
Employees in finance, accounting, clerical roles, and human resources, who perform highly structured administrative tasks are most at risk
It is estimated more than half of structured administrative roles will be replaced by automated systems by 2030
The next few years will see an increased demand for workers with digital skills, including tech specialists with skills in big data, process automation, human/machine interaction, robotics engineering, blockchain, and machine learning.
The growth will offset eight per cent of more traditional technology roles that can be fully automated.
The report also found employees for charities, social enterprises, and health and well-being services will becoming a significant new labour force, boasting more than 700,000 mission-based workers by 2030 as Australians seek to align person values and lifestyles with work.
‘Some of the biggest challenges that firms face in embracing automation technologies relate to culture and change management,’ Forrester principal analyst Sam Higgins said.
‘It’s critical that policymakers and employers learn how to minimise the number of digital outcasts by measuring the ability of individuals and organisations to adapt to, collaborate with, trust, and generate business results from automation – or else over 1 million Australian workers may be left stranded beyond the next digital divide.’
While some jobs will be lost as automation advances, 1.7 million roles are tipped to be created as the demand for specialist digital skills increases