Main content

What Will Happen When Robots Take Our Jobs?

A recent study calculated that 47% of total employment in the US is at risk of automation in the next 20 years. What will it mean for the humans who once did that work?

Robots are coming for your job. Blue-collar jobs in industries like manufacturing have been disappearing for years but now white-collar work is under threat too. Machines are already taking roles that used to be done by journalists, lawyers and even anaesthetists. One recent study calculated that 47% of total employment in the US is at risk of automation in the next 20 years.

So what will happen to all the human beings who did those jobs? Will we invent enough new jobs to keep them occupied? If not, how will they fill their time? And how will they earn money? The Inquiry – still made by humans, for now, – brings you answers.

(Photo: A robot stands with workers at a Japanese employee supply company. Credit: Getty Images)

Available now

23 minutes

Last on

Sun 23 Aug 201513:06GMT
BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa

More episodes

Previous

Should Anyone Ever Talk to IS?

Next

Migrant Crisis: What Else Could Europe Try?

See all episodes from The Inquiry

Clip

Broadcasts

  • Tue 18 Aug 201502:06GMT
    BBC World Service Online & UK DAB/Freeview only
  • Tue 18 Aug 201503:06GMT
    BBC World Service South Asia & East Asia only
  • Tue 18 Aug 201504:06GMT
    BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean
  • Tue 18 Aug 201505:06GMT
    BBC World Service Australasia
  • Tue 18 Aug 201506:06GMT
    BBC World Service East and Southern Africa
  • Tue 18 Aug 201512:06GMT
    BBC World Service except Americas and the Caribbean & Australasia
  • Tue 18 Aug 201513:06GMT
    BBC World Service Australasia
  • Tue 18 Aug 201516:06GMT
    BBC World Service except Online, East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
  • Tue 18 Aug 201521:06GMT
    BBC World Service
  • Sat 22 Aug 201523:06GMT
    BBC World Service
  • Sun 23 Aug 201502:06GMT
    BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean
  • Sun 23 Aug 201504:06GMT
    BBC World Service except Americas and the Caribbean
  • Sun 23 Aug 201513:06GMT
    BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa

Featured in...

Podcast

  • The Inquiry

    The Inquiry explores the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world