63 million jobs will be lost to automation by 2040

According to Forrester’s latest forecast, 63 million jobs are expected to be lost to automation by 2040, with more than 247 million jobs expected to be in jeopardy across key industries, including construction and agriculture. Each country faces its own unique challenges, but Forrester believes that working populations in the five largest economies in Asia Pacific — India, China, South Korea, Australia, and Japan — are more at risk due to physical robot automation than Europe and North America. Whilst the green economy will help offset some job losses as more countries commit to carbon neutrality, approximately 13.7 million jobs in the region will be lost to automation across wholesale, retail, transport, accommodation, and leisure sectors.

Alan Hiddleston, Senior Director, Corporate Learning (International) D2L offers the following comment:

“As this report suggests, AI or automation’s impact will differ from job function to job function, but ultimately all employees will feel its effect, and this means that vast swathes of staff will need to be reskilled in a short timeframe at scale. Future training programmes will have to be far more agile and complex, accounting for personalised learning pathways and individual employee needs. A ‘one-size fits all’ approach is simply no longer viable, and one-off e-learning module or course does not expose employees to the breadth of information that is needed to cover the more complex skills or business challenges.

“The future economy will not only be about developing skills, but ultimately, about changing attitudes, culture and behaviour – the way in which we deliver, and measure learning will need to be reviewed. Employees will need to be retrained quickly and efficiently and on a regular basis, with leaders identifying key target areas specific to their organisation. This will require clear communication and effective policy and strong partnerships between government, businesses and institutions. Reskilling will remain a constant feature of our entire working lives, employees must be able to re-enter the education system and attain new skills periodically. Likewise, colleges will have to update their courses accordingly to ensure students are better prepared to enter the job market. By working together, they can ensure that desirable skills are embedded within curriculum and delivered across all courses.”