More than four in five Maltese fear robots could put their future employment prospects in jeopardy, a new EU-wide survey has found.
A Eurobarometer survey published earlier this month found that 82 per cent of Maltese thought the introduction of robotic technology would threaten their future job security.
Their fears might not be entirely misplaced.
Back in February the Times of Malta reported how robots and computers could replace almost 250,000 public sector workers in the UK over the next 15 years, in a bid to improve efficiency and save billions of euros.
A report by the UK-based Reform think-tank said use of websites and artificially intelligent “chat bots” could remove the need for 130,000 Whitehall administrators, around 90 per cent of the total, by 2030, saving €3 billion a year.
Their fears might not be entirely misplaced
A further 90,000 National Health Service administrative posts and 24,000 GP receptionists could be subjected to automation in a similar way, with savings of more than €2 billion.
Even roles normally associated with human practitioners could fall victim to the march of the machines, with around 30 per cent of nursing activities, such as collecting information and administering non-intravenous medication, suitable for automation.
Meanwhile, there are no immediate plans for the wide scale introduction of robotics in the Maltese workplace.
The EU-wide survey, the field work for which was carried out in April, asked Maltese respondents how they felt about robotic technology and artificial intelligence in general.
Only four per cent said they had ever used robotic technology, such as robotic vacuum cleaners, in the home and the same amount said they had used them for work – despite their rapid introduction in the manufacturing industry. The survey asked respondents whether they thought robots were necessary to do jobs that were too difficult or dangerous for people to carry out, and nearly all agreed, despite being afraid they would pose a risk to their future employment.
Men are most likely to agree with the introduction of robots to make daily tasks easier, with 72 per cent agreeing compared to 60 per cent of women.
Higher educated respondents were more inclined to agree with the introduction than those in manual labour positions.
Around 80 per cent of those who had used robotic technology in the past, were on board with their introduction, some 20 per cent higher than those who had not done so.