Jobs and States Vulnerable to Automation

Reports of robots replacing people have been all over the media in recent years. But does the hype really live up to the reality? Just how much do employees really have to fear from automation?

Advances in technology mean automation is here to stay. Much of it can help businesses save on costs and become more productive, according to insight from SmartAccess, a financial technology company that provides personal finance advice online. On the one hand, labor-saving devices can make workers more productive. More productive workers typically means goods that cost less and consumers with more money in their pockets. But on the other hand, labor-saving devices can cause labor market upheaval.

The full report identifies the jobs that will be the fastest growing in the next decade, while also shedding light on jobs that will decline dramatically as technology advances. But perhaps the most sobering realization is how densely packed occupations susceptible to automation are in certain states. High concentrations of these jobs in your area could significantly affect your local economy.

For this report, researchers examined Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2017 with data from all 50 states. Researchers looked at two categories: the number of people working in different occupations, and the risk of automation in each occupation.

A few highlights from the analysis include:

• Workers nationwide are vulnerable. In 47 of the 50 states, more than 50% of all jobs are at risk of automation.
• In particular, the South faces trouble. According to the data, the Southern states in the U.S. face the most potential job loss as a result of automation. Along with heavy Southern representation, three states in the Great Plains also crack the top 10.
• There’s a mix of jobs at risk. While jobs with the highest risk of automation, including telemarketers, title examiners, abstractors and searchers, hand sewers, and insurance underwriters, don’t tend to employ many people, there are some jobs with a high risk of automation with large employment figures. Those jobs include retail salespeople, cashiers, and fast food preparation and serving workers.