More than 40 percent of Canadians are at risk of losing their jobs due to automation, according to The Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship at Ryerson University in Toronto. And notably, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and advanced robotics means automation is not limited to just manual and restricted tasks anymore.
According to the report, the following jobs are at risk of being replaced by automation:
- Retail salesperson.
- Administrative assistant.
- Food counter attendant.
- Cashier.
- Transport truck driver.
According to the report, in the next 10 to 20 years, there is a 70% or higher probability that these jobs will be dramatically affected by automation. The analysis also notes that workers in these "high risk" jobs earn less and have lower educational attainments than the rest of the labor force, which could make the transition particularly hard on these workers.
The top five low risk jobs, facing less than 30% probability of being replaced, "are linked to high level skills" and earnings, such as jobs in STEM. These jobs are:
- Retail and wholesale trade managers.
- Registered nurses.
- Elementary and kindergarten teachers.
- Early childhood educators and assistants.
- Secondary school teachers.
This news isn't exactly unexpected. In truth, it's mostly accepted that many routine and manual jobs have been, and will continue to be, taken over by automated systems. But there are an increasing number of reports of AI algorithms being used to conquer cognitive tasks in fields like medicine, law, journalism, and more.
How easy the transition will be remains to be seen, but the world of tomorrow will likely consist of an entirely different landscape.
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