Will your job exist in the future?
Occupations most at risk from automation

In a recent survey, HR software provider Ciphr asked 1,031 British workers to rate the likelihood of their own occupation becoming automated.

On average, a third of women (33%) and over two-fifths (43%) of men said that it was likely or very likely that their current job role could be replaced by technology or machines (such as smart software, automation or robotics) in the future.

To discover more about people’s perceptions of how automation could impact their jobs, Ciphr compared its survey results with a report by the Office for National Statistics on the probability of automation in England. The findings (included below in two interactive charts) show a distinct difference, for almost all occupations included in the study, between what workers think is likely to happen to their current jobs and what ONS researchers predict will happen.

List of jobs that are considered the most and least likely to be replaced by technology or machines in the future

wdt_ID Occupation Likelihood of job becoming automated (according to people working in the role) Probability of automation (% of jobs at risk from automation, according to ONS report) Median full-time gross annual salary (GBP) Number of employees in the UK (Jan-Dec 2021) % of the workforce that is male % of the workforce that is female
1 Financial institution managers and directors (including bank manager and insurance manager) 100 30 45,351 139,600 55 45
2 Records clerks and assistants (including admissions officer and filing clerk) 100 56 23,257 132,400 33 67
3 Production managers and directors in manufacturing (including engineering manager, managing director – engineering and operations manager – manufacturing) 75 30 43,434 237,900 85 15
4 IT specialist managers (including data centre manager, IT support manager and service delivery manager) 71 24 47,330 265,900 75 25
5 Managers and directors in storage and warehousing (including logistics manager and warehouse manager) 67 35 31,025 95,500 82 18
6 Food, drink and tobacco process operatives (including Baker – food products manufacturing, factory worker – food products manufacturing, meat processor, process worker – brewery or dairy) 67 65 21,234 129,200 56 44
7 Chartered and certified accountants 64 26 39,837 193,900 57 43
8 Financial managers and directors (including investment banker and treasury manager) 62 30 58,028 278,900 55 45
9 Information technology and telecommunications professionals n.e.c. (including IT consultant, software tester, systems tester and telecommunications planner) 60 28 40,000 267,100 75 25
10 Security guards and related occupations (including CCTV operator, park keeper and private investigator) 60 57 24,814 201,500 80 20
Occupation Likelihood of job becoming automated (according to people working in the role) Probability of automation (% of jobs at risk from automation, according to ONS report) Median full-time gross annual salary (GBP) Number of employees in the UK (Jan-Dec 2021) % of the workforce that is male % of the workforce that is female
Notes

Ciphr polled a representative sample of 1,031 employed British adults. People with related job titles were grouped using the Office for National Statistics’ standard occupational classifications. Due to the survey’s sample size some job titles / industries were underrepresented and therefore too statistically unreliable to include.

All external data sourced from the Office for National Statistics (ONS):