Robots may put 250,000 public sector staff out of work in next 15 years

The rise of robots could lead to the replacement of nearly a quarter of a million public sector jobs in the UK over the next 15 years, according to thinktank Reform.

Reform says that civil servants working in Whitehall, as well as many administrative positions in the NHS are the most likely areas where robots would replace posts currently occupied by humans.

The report released by Reform suggests that public service workers would be better served as a part of a "gig economy" - similar to Uber - in which they picked up jobs as and when required.

"Twenty percent of public-sector workers hold strategic, 'cognitive' roles," the thinktank said in its report. "They will use data analytics to identify patterns – improving decision-making and allocating workers most efficiently."

It added that eventually even doctors and nurses could be deemed surplus to requirements as technology becomes more advanced.

"The NHS, for example, can focus on the highest risk patients, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions. UK police and other emergency services are already using data to predict areas of greatest risk from burglary and fire."

Several companies have already started making the move towards using robots instead of employees for routine tasks, but they have yet to become a common sight in workplaces.

The co-author of the report Alexander Hitchcock said that such a significant shift in labour practices would have to be handled "sensitively".

"Such a rapid advance in the use of technology may seem controversial, and any job losses must be handled sensitively," Hitchcock said. "But the result would be public services that are better, safer, smarter and more affordable."