Young People Hold 40% of Jobs Set for Displacement

Within the next decade, four out of every ten people displaced by automation will be a young worker between the ages of 18 and 34, according to forecasts published by McKinsey. Workers at both the beginning and end of their careers are slated to be the most impacted by the automating labor force.

Overall 14.7 million young people will be automated out of jobs. Food preparation is expected to be one of the biggest areas where young workers will be displaced, with 804,000 jobs lost in the next ten years. For people over the age of 50, administrative support jobs, like secretarial and clerical work, will be the hardest hit by automation, with almost a million displaced older workers between those two titles alone.

These two age groups are projected to be the most affected by job displacement from automation. New workers hoping to gain entry-level experience, particularly in the soft skills arena, look to these jobs to begin their careers. While older workers often rely on working up-till or past retirement to fill or cushion their retirement savings.