Automation set to transform public services, research reveals

Up to 861,000 public sector jobs – 16% of the overall workforce – could be automated by 2030, according to research by Deloitte, the business advisory firm.

The research builds on Deloitte’s work with Oxford University on job automation, which has shown that all sectors of the UK economy will be affected by automation in the next two decades. Deloitte analysed job types in each category, assessing their growth since 2001 and projecting how they could be affected by automation by 2030.

The public sector includes higher numbers of roles in areas such as education and caring, as well as jobs requiring public interaction, all of which are at lower risk of automation. However, Deloitte calculates that automation could still lead to a reduction of up to £17 billion in public sector wage costs by 2030.

Mike Turley, Global Head of Public Sector at Deloitte, said: “For many roles, particularly those requiring a high degree of cognitive skill, automation is likely to complement roles, rather than replace them. For example, senior figures in policing, fire and prisons could utilise technology such as data analytics to inform their decision-making, helping them better understand demand for their services and performance.

“In future, it will become even more important for the public sector to attract people with strong social and cognitive skills.  A larger portion of the public sector will need to undertake complex, judgement-based problem solving and customer service as machines take over repetitive, administrative tasks.

“Our wider research on automation also shows that while jobs are displaced by automation, new, higher-skilled and better paying jobs are created as a result.”