Rise of the machines: Up to 800 million people could be out of jobs due to robots by 2030

Between 400 million and 800 million people could be displaced from work globally by robotic automation and may need to find new jobs by 2030, a study says.

The analysis, presented by the McKinsley Global Institute, said between 75 million and 375 million of the total displaced may need to entirely switch their career path and learn new skills to survive in the job market.

The consultancy firm studied 46 countries and 800 occupations to arrive at its conclusions.

It said in around 60% of the occupations it analysed, at least a third of the constituent activities had the potential to be automated in 13 years' time, implying substantial workplace transformations and changes for all workers.

One-fifth of current jobs in the UK are predicted to be lost to automation by 2030.

"The changes in net occupational growth or decline imply that a very large number of people may need to shift occupational categories and learn new skills in the years ahead," the report stated.

"The shift could be on a scale not seen since the transition of the labour force out of agriculture in the early 1900s in the US and Europe, and more recently in China."

China faces the largest number of workers needing to switch occupations, with up to 100 million affected by 2030 if automation is adopted rapidly.

Advanced economies are also predicted to go through substantial workplace changes, with up to a third of the workforce in the US and Germany potentially having to learn new skills and find work in other occupations by 2030, along with nearly half of the workforce in Japan.

However, the report said there was no cause for alarm just yet as technological progress typically leads to the creation of new jobs that did not previously exist.

"With sufficient economic growth, innovation, and investment, there can be enough new job creation to offset the impact of automation, although in some advanced economies additional investments will be needed," it stated.

Rising global consumption, fuelled primarily by emerging economies such as India and China, is also predicted to create hundreds of millions of new jobs around the world.

Healthcare related jobs could grow by up to 85 million by 2030, as there will be around 300 million more people aged 65 years and older by then compared to 2014.