Automation has long been seen as a threat to blue-collar jobs. However, as the technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, white-collar careers could also feel the impact, affecting everyone from lawyers to CEOs.
One of the common worries around digital transformation is that many people’s jobs will be automated or replaced by technology in a quest for greater efficiency. According to PwC’s Upskilling Hopes and Fears 2021 survey, 60% of respondents are worried that automation is putting many jobs at risk, and 39% think it’s likely that their job will be obsolete within five years. Last October, a World Economic Forum report said 85 million jobs may be replaced with AI by 2025.
In the past, the jobs seen as at-risk were those that involve a high number of routine or repetitive tasks, often in areas termed “low-skilled”. According to PwC, most jobs that will be lost to automation are routine (such as underwriting), repetitive (like data entry) or dangerous (for example, factory line production).