Many Australian workers face a "significant shock" to wages and job prospects due to the impact of automation and technological change, says jobs website Seek.

In a submission to a Senate inquiry into the "Future of Work and Workers", the company’s chief financial officer, Geoff Roberts, warned of a hollowing out of mid-level jobs in Australia.

Unease about the use of robots and automation to replace human workers has been on the rise amid a climate of flat wages and digital upheaval.

It has led to calls for a universal basic income to offset rising inequality and fears that jobs that are made redundant will not be replaced by new ones in other areas.

The Senate inquiry was established last October.