Disadvantaged youth face higher risk of job automation: Flinders University

New research out of Flinders University reveals that young Australians with socio-demographic disadvantages are more likely to work in industries forecasted to be affected by automation.

The research paper in the Journal of Youth Studies applies OECD data on the risk of job automation to a study of 15 year old students across a 10 year period, connecting the risks of automation to new entrants into the workforce.

According to the author, future of work specialist, Associate Professor Cebulla from the College of Business at Flinders University, “our study found educational achievement and parental background (mainly wealth) can make a difference to work choices – as can their use of computers/IT: for learning or purely for entertainment.”

Young people using computers primarily for entertainment correlates with those that end up in high automation risk jobs, said Cebulla.

On the other hand, young people with access to sophisticated technologies and use them for learning and development are less likely to suffer job loss from automation, and young people in general are less at risk than the average Australian.

“Australian youth has found it increasingly challenging to navigate transitions from education and training into work, with casual work and the gig economy often the only work available for young people aged 15-24 years,” said Cebulla.

“While their first jobs to supplement income would be in the service sector, in food services, accommodation, sales assistants or checkout operators, we need to focus on creating meaningful and informed career pathway options to school leavers and university graduates to lead to rewarding, secure and well-paid jobs in the future.”

According to Cebulla, the risk factors for socio-disadvantaged Australians must be considered in government and education policy.

“If some of these first job opportunities are just a few years away from being ‘automated away,’ we then need to consider whether these young people are entering dead end jobs and making themselves unemployed without considering the consequences or planning for a more secure future.”