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The rise of robots and artificial intelligence will wipe out over five million jobs by 2020, with women expected to be the worst hit, according to new research.

Developments in areas such as robotics, nanotechnology and 3D printing will cause massive disruption to labour markets, meaning that the skills companies look for in employees will change dramatically over the next five years.

The report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) indicates that as many as 7.1 million jobs could be lost through redundancy, automation or disintermediation, with the greatest losses in white-collar office and administrative roles.

These losses will be partially offset by the creation of 2.1 million new jobs - mainly in more specialised areas such as computing, mathematics, architecture and engineering - but this still equates to 5 million net job losses.

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“Without urgent and targeted action today to manage the near-term transition and build a workforce with futureproof skills, governments will have to cope with ever-growing unemployment and inequality,” said Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the WEF.

Although the burden of job losses is expected to fall equally on women (48%) and men (52%), men currently represent a larger share of the overall job market, so this will result in a widening of the employment gender gap.

Women will lose five jobs for every job gained compared with men losing three jobs for every job gained, according to the WEF.

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Moreover, the roles that are at higher risk of being wiped out are those that are traditionally performed by women, whereas those that are expected to have the most growth are traditionally "male" professions.

The report once again highlights the chronic shortage of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) professions, and calls on employers to do more to retain women colleagues beyond the junior level.

"This new data illustrates the urgency with which leaders across business and policy must find new ways to ensure that the full talent pool of men and women is educated, recruited and promoted," the report states.

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The report was published at the WEF's annual winter meeting in Davos, which brings together 2,500 leaders from business, government, international organisations, civil society, academia, media and the arts to discuss the world's most pressing issues.

It represents more than 13 million employees in nine industry sectors and 15 economies - accounting for approximately 65% of the world's total workforce.

A separate report by Infosys, published to coincide with Davos, reveals that 40% of 16-25 year olds across developed and emerging markets believe that automation will eliminate their current job within the next decade.

In the UK, the number rises to 45% - second only to India - but British youths are the least willing to re-skill in order to adapt to a changing workplace.

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While 62% might consider learning software development in order to adapt, this lags behind four major emerging economies and the US.

The young also feel that the British education system is failing to prepare them for the world of work.

Barely half of those polled said the education they received was helpful for their current role, and 77% said they had to learn new skills not taught at school or university in order to do their chosen job.