World Economic Forum research shows robots set to eliminate 5m jobs by 2020

More than 5m jobs will be lost by 2020 as a result of developments in genetics, artificial intelligence, robotics, and other technological change, according to World Economic Forum research.

About 7m jobs will be lost and 2m gained as a result of technological change in 15 major developed and emerging economies, WEF founder Klaus Schwab and managing board member Richard Samans said in ‘The Future of Jobs’.

The findings are taken from a survey of 15 economies covering about 1.9bn workers, or about 65% of the world’s total workforce.