By the year 2025, robots will do half our work—but they won’t won’t take our jobs, say experts. More machines completing more so-called work tasks means humans can do even more, and that more jobs will be created, according to a new future of jobs study from the World Economic Forum.
The report, released on September 17, forecasts that by 2025, half of all “work tasks” will be done by machines. That’s up from 29% today and will lead to the displacement or loss of up to 75 million jobs by 2022. That sounds like a lot, sure. But in that same period—just four years into the future—the study says that up to 130 million more human jobs will be created.
The study aimed to better understand how robot and human workforces will shift in the coming years, as nearly 50% of all companies except to see their workforce shrink due to automation. But at the same time, most companies expect to continue growing, and to expand their overall workforce by about 40%. So that doesn’t mean companies expect to have fewer jobs. Rather, the way work is done will change. And yes, some robots will likely be involved.