Rise of the robots could see 850,000 in public sector jobs by 2030

Public sector jobs appear to be the most threatened by the rise of automation, as a new study from Oxford University and Deloitte has found that more than 850,000 administrative jobs could be transferred to robots by 2030.

The research also found that in the near future even the work conducted by teachers, police officers and social workers could bein part replaced by automated devices.

The study formed part of Deloitte's state of the state report, in which the business advisory firm analyses public finances and how effectively they are utilised.

It has also included an assertion that automation has actually created more jobs than it has replaced over the last 140 years.

"We are already seeing examples of technology playing a role in the public sector," said Deloitte's global head of public sector, Mike Turley.

"Robotic processes are supporting local government in their data entry, driverless trains are becoming more widespread and sensor technology is being used in hospitals and care homes."

Turley also calmed fears that the transformation to automated roles will not be as rapid as many have predicted.

"Automation will not displace employees overnight. Its impact is gradual and manageable and there could well be social or political resistance to the full deployment of technology in place of people," he added.

In July, Deloitte predicted that as much as a quarter of jobs in the business services sector may be replaced by robots within the next 20 years.

Earlier this year the World Economic Forum warned the rise in robot automation and other disruptive global employment trends such as Big Data analytics, will see millions of jobs disappear around the world in the coming few years.

The WEF's 'Future of Jobs' report calculated that current disruptive labour market trends, including improvements in artificial intelligence, cloud technology, the Internet of Things and flexible working arrangements, could lead to a net employment loss of more than 5.1m jobs in the 15 countries surveyed.

In March, Royal Bank of Scotland axed 550 jobs, with the bank replacing them with so-called robo-advisers.