FEATURE
What does the rise of the robots mean for UK jobs?
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obots were long the realm of science fiction writers – but with Industrial Revolution 4.0 delivering incredible advancements in technology and artificial intelligence, robots are making the leap from fantasy to reality. What does this mean for human employment? Business Leader investigates. “The problem for the UK labour market and our economy is not that we have too many robots in the workplace, but that we have too few,” says a new government study analysing industrial automation.
“The risk we face is not a robot takeover of our workplaces, but that our lack of adoption and the reluctance of businesses and the government to lead the way in the Fourth Industrial Revolution means other countries will seize the initiative and take the advantage of new technologies – not least the growth and jobs they bring – while we are left behind. “If we fall further behind in productivity and the adoption of new technologies, then future investment decisions will not follow. Businesses, investment and jobs will move overseas.”
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March - April 2020
