Women in the UK are considerably more likely than men to be working in jobs endangered by the advance of technology, the national statistics office has announced.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 1.5 million people in England are at high risk of losing their jobs to automation – with women holding more than 70 per cent of those roles believed to be at high risk.

The three occupations with the highest probability of automation were found to be waiters and waitresses, shelf-stackers and basic retail roles - all of which are low-skilled or routine.

However, well-educated women were also found to be more at risk than men.

“Even among degree-educated workers, three in four men are in jobs at low risk of automation, while only six in 10 women are,” said the Resolution Foundation, a think tank which aims to improve the living standards of low and middle-income families.

The ONS analysed the jobs of 20 million people in 2017 and found 7.4 per cent of these were at high risk of being replaced.

Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Show all 15 1 /15 Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Residents follow moves made by humanoid robot 'Pepper' during an afternoon exercise routine at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Funabashi Hiroshi from A Fun, repairs broken'AIBO's, pet dog robots, at his office in Kasama. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A caretaker wearing a 'HAL for care support' robot suit pushes a wheelchair at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Residents follow moves made by humanoid robot 'Pepper' during an afternoon exercise routine at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Yoichi Suzuki spends time with 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, which his father used for his rehabilitation at his house in Takahag.i Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident approaches humanoid robot 'Pepper' to pat its head during an afternoon exercise routine at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A caretaker, wearing walking rehabilitation equipment 'Tree', helps a resident with his walking training at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Yoichi Suzuki shows 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, to his bed-ridden mother at his house. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A broken'AIBO', a pet dog robot, waits for repair in A Fun's office in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident touches 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident touches robot seal 'PARO' at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care Yoichi Suzuki and his wife take care of his bed-ridden mother as 'AIBO', a pet dog robot walks around at his house in Takahagi. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A caretaker wearing a motion assist equipment 'Muscle Suit' carries a resident from a bed to a wheelchair at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care 'AIBO', a pet dog robot, which Yoichi Suzuki's father used for his rehabilitation, is seen at Suzuki's house in Takahagi. Reuters Ageing Japan: Robots' role in future of elderly care A resident claps to call 'AIBO', a pet dog robot at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Reuters

It defines automation as tasks currently performed by workers being replaced with technology. This could mean computer programmes, algorithms, or robots.

Young people also faced a bigger challenge with more than 15 per cent of 20-year-olds at high risk of losing their jobs to automation. However, the threat waned as their careers progressed.

“Workers naturally obtain further skills and become more knowledgeable in their field as they progress further in their careers,” the ONS said.

The three occupations at the lowest risk of automation were said to be medics and teachers or lecturers in senior roles.

"It is not so much that robots are taking over, but that routine and repetitive tasks can be carried out more quickly and efficiently by an algorithm written by a human, or a machine designed for one specific function," the ONS said.

They say there are fewer jobs at risk of automation now than was thought in 2011 – the figure has dropped from 8.1 per cent to 7.4 per cent – but the proportion of jobs at low and medium risk of automation has increased.

Reasons for the decrease are unclear, but it is possible that automation of some jobs has already happened, such as supermarket self-checkouts, the ONS said.

Sharon Graham, executive officer for the Unite union, said: “We must not and will not sit back and wait for new technology to be imposed, especially when it is putting workers' livelihoods at risk.

”New technology is going to generate a lot of wealth. We will fight to make sure this wealth is used to do things that help workers and their families, such as reducing working time without loss of pay.

“Automation needs to deliver for ordinary people, not just make bigger profits for corporations. We need a radical response to the new realities of the labour market.“

A shorter working week without loss of pay could help workers stay in work when new technology reduces the number of tasks that need to be carried out by people, she said.

The areas of England with the lowest risk of jobs being automated in 2017 were said to include Camden in London, Three Rivers in Hertfordshire, and Oxford, while the highest risk was in Tamworth in Staffordshire, Rutland, and South Holland in Lincolnshire.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: ”The workers most at risk from automation are the same workers already badly hit by austerity.