Automation and other disruptive technologies are being rapidly deployed into economies and planning is required to adapt economic policies so as to avoid job losses. This paper examines the impact of these disruptive technologies and offers solutions that will protect workers and allow Scotland to capture the benefits of new technology and innovation.
― Many jobs in Scotland are or will soon be highly automatable. A new wave of development in computation puts many managerial and service jobs at risk.
― Up to a third of Scottish jobs may be replaceable by disruptive technologies such as automation.
― Whilst there is a strong correlation between the risk of disruption and media salary (with lower paid jobs at higher risk), the risk of replacement exists even for some highly paid jobs.
― There is a significant gender imbalance in automation risk. 34% of male workers are at risk of losing their job to automation compared to 26% of female workers.
― Several policies are proposed to mitigate the risk of disruption or to help people transition as jobs are replaced. These go beyond the normal political offer of “retraining” such as targeting investment to allow innovation, developing a cohesive industrial strategy for the 21st century, better workplace democracy to foster worker-led transitions, the creation of a Diversification Agency to reduce the risk of disruption across the economy and a Job Guarantee Scheme to support workers who do lose their job.