Robots could replace nearly a third of Australian jobs in just over a decade, a new report has found.
An Adzuna Australia study revealed the occupations most at risk of being fully automated by 2030 include butchers, labourers, drivers and cashiers.
Jobs in regional areas and South Australia are highlighted as most at risk, while positions in Sydney and Melbourne are the safest.
Robots could replace nearly a third of Australian jobs in just over a decade, a new report has found (butchers are one of the occupations most at risk – stock image)
Hobart had the highest percentage of at risk jobs – 38 per cent – while in Sydney only 15 per cent of jobs were classified as in danger.
The ACT had the lowest percentage of jobs at risk state-wide at 29 per cent, closely followed by New South Wales’ 31 per cent.
Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria all have 35 per cent of jobs at risk from automation, with the Northern Territory a percentage point higher.
Eight out of ten of the jobs least at risk of being automated are in the healthcare industry.
An Adzuna Australia study revealed the occupations most at risk of being fully automated by 2030 include butchers, labourers, drivers and cashiers (stock image)
Eight out of ten of the jobs least at risk of being automated are in the healthcare industry (stock image)
Adzuna CEO Raife Watson said automation will cause people to move to urban ares in even higher numbers than today.
‘We run the real risk of mass unemployment in our regions and over-population of our major cities,’ he said.
‘As it stands, Australians who work in manual jobs in regional Australia will face high levels of unemployment over the next decade and will have little choice but to up-skill and move to cities like Sydney and Melbourne,’ Mr Watson said.
Mr Watson said not all white-collar jobs are immune from automation, and technological advances could put previously-secure people out of work within years.
‘New technology is introduced almost every day. Specific types of programmers that were in high demand five years ago now have skills that are obsolete,’ Mr Watson said.
‘Australians must be vigilant and continue to think about jobs that will be difficult to replace in the future.
‘Build a career in a job that requires emotional intelligence and tasks that cannot be replicated by a machine.’
The expected job losses due to automation is likely to increase competition for jobs in hard-hit regional areas.
Adzuna CEO Raife Watson said automation will cause people to move to urban ares in even higher numbers than today (stock image)
According to Adzuna research, Sydney job vacancies have 3.6 applicants each, compared to eight in regional New South Wales.
Sydney has 95 per cent of the state’s finance jobs, and eight out of ten construction jobs.
In Melbourne the there are 6.1 job seekers for every vacancy, much lower than the 10.4 in regional Victoria, and the state capital is home to nine out of ten construction jobs.