More than 50 percent of employees in Taiwan are concerned about losing their jobs as a result of the development of artificial intelligence technology, according to a survey by 1111 job bank.



The poll showed that about 51.19 percent of Taiwan workers are worried about being replaced by robots in an AI era, particularly in the fields of education and trade/logistics.



Among those who have such concerns, 42.06 percent think that because of their age, they would have difficulty finding a new employment if they lose their jobs as result of AI, according to the poll, which showed that such fears are most prevalent among employees in the 45-50 age group.



Only about 7.71 percent of employees in Taiwan have taken steps to upgrade their skills in an effort to adapt to a growing trend of AI applications in the workplace, the survey found.



Commenting on the results of the poll, Daniel Lee (李大華), head of 1111 job bank's career development and public relations division, said many middle-aged workers are facing a changing work environment due to emerging technology like AI.



Employees in that age category, who are usually on the higher end of the pay scale, are worried about not being able to support their families if they lose their jobs because of an inability to adapt to new technologies, Lee said.



He suggested that employees seek to upgrade their professional skills in the fast changing work environment to become more competitive in the job market.



The survey was conducted July 3-17 and collected 1,089 valid samples. It had a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.97 percentage points, the job bank said.