Machines to handle over half of workplace tasks by 2025, report says

Rosie the Robot cleans, stencils and stacks piece of pipe at Tube Supply Co. in Houston, Texas. The company bought the robot to increase efficiency and reduce the risk of injury to workers. The robot will not replace any workers, but is an example of how automation is changing the workplace. less Rosie the Robot cleans, stencils and stacks piece of pipe at Tube Supply Co. in Houston, Texas. The company bought the robot to increase efficiency and reduce the risk of injury to workers. The robot will not ... more Photo: Chris Tomlinson / Houston Chronicle Photo: Chris Tomlinson / Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Machines to handle over half of workplace tasks by 2025, report says 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

GENEVA — More than half of all workplace tasks will be carried out by machines by 2025, organizers of the Davos economic forum said in a report released Monday that highlights the speed with which the labor market will change in coming years.

The World Economic Forum estimates that machines will be responsible for 52 percent of the division of labor as a share of hours within seven years, up from 29 percent today. By 2022, the report says, roughly 75 million jobs worldwide will be lost, but that could be more than offset by the creation of 133 million new jobs.

A major challenge, however, will be training and re-training employees for that new world of work.

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“By 2025, the majority of workplace tasks in existence today will be performed by machines or algorithms. At the same time a greater number of new jobs will be created,” said Saadia Zahidi, a forum board member. “Our research suggests that neither businesses nor governments have fully grasped the size of this key challenge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

The Future of Jobs 2018 report, the second of its kind, is based on a survey of executives representing 15 million employees in 20 economies. Its authors say the outlook for job creation has become more positive since the last report in 2016 because businesses have a better sense of the opportunities made possible by technology.

The forum said challenges for employers include enabling remote work, building safety nets to protect workers, and providing fresh skills for employees. However, the report found that only 1 in 3 respondents planned to retrain at-risk workers.

Despite net positive job growth, the forum anticipates a “significant shift in the quality, location, format and permanency of new roles. Businesses are to expand use of contractors for task-specialized work, engage workers in more flexible arrangements, use remote staffing and change locations to get access to the right talent.”

The report said nearly half of all companies expect their full-time workforces to shrink by 2022, while nearly 2 in 5 expect to extend their workforce generally, and over one-quarter expect automation to create new roles in their enterprises.

Germany’s powerful DGB trade union association warned against too rapid change in the world of work.

“People, whether they’re workers or consumers, will only accept and tolerate the consequences if technology serves them — and not they it,” Reiner Hoffmann told daily Welt in reaction to the forum’s report.

Jamey Keaten is an Associated Press writer.