4 Jobs at risk of automation see losses ver the years countless headlines have warned of the threat robots pose to jobs, and yet employment has continued to rise. We are now, however, starting to see Othe automation of certain jobs being reflected in labour statistics. We can see that by looking at the employment growth of jobs most “at risk” of being made obsolete through Jobs most at risk of automation technological advances, compared to growth in jobs saw negative growth that face a “moderate” or “low risk” of automation. Over the last five-year period, jobs in the “at risk” Growth in employment by risk of automation, category actually experienced declining employment, 2013-2018, % while employment in “low risk” occupations soared. 8 Not all “at risk” jobs saw declines – food service workers, 7 administrative assistants and bookkeepers all enjoyed 6 5 strong employment growth. Still, we see no reason to 4 expect this broader transformation of the job market 3 to reverse. 2 1 The thing to remember is that automation of jobs 0 doesn’t mean jobs are going away. While new technol- -1 Low Risk Moderate Risk High Risk ogies can disrupt employment by replacing workers directly, it can also reduce costs and drive expansions such that overall employment grows. What’s needed Source: Statistics Canada, RBC Economics Research, is for policy makers to play a greater role in helping and Frey and Osborne (2017) workers through this adjustment, with more resources put towards education and training to help mitigate the disruptive effects of automation. RBC Economics Research | Navigating 2019 - 9 big insights for the year ahead | January 2019 13