Automation will prompt more employers to add jobs than to cut, Manpower says

ManpowerGroup, after overseeing a huge survey of employers worldwide on the impact of automation, has a calming message for workers worried about the digitized future: Don’t fear the robot.

Among the employers polled, only 10% told ManpowerGroup that automation would prompt headcount reductions over the next two years, the Milwaukee-based staffing company said Friday.

Twice that share — 20% — said they expect to add workers because of increased use of digital technology. Two-thirds of the employers, meanwhile, said automation would have no effect on their staffing levels over the next two years.

The findings come from a survey conducted in October of 19,718 employers across 42 countries and six industry sectors.

The results vary by country and occupational group. U.S. employers were among the most optimistic, with 25% saying automation will increase their headcounts in the near term. But the comparable figure in China, where much manufacturing is labor-intensive, was only 3%.

Worldwide, headcounts will increase in jobs involving information technology, manufacturing and customer-facing functions because of increasing digitization, the survey found.

However, ManpowerGroup said automation poses a threat to overall staffing levels in administration, office, finance and accounting jobs.

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“Digitization is happening at an unprecedented pace and every industry and function will be impacted,” Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “This is good news for people – providing they have the right skills mix to augment rather than compete with technology."

The report called for efforts to train workers in new skills more quickly and for people to continually look to update their skills.