Workers fear automation more than immigration, survey finds

Workers are more worried about losing their jobs to machines or because of the falling value of the pound than immigration, a report has said.

A survey of 1,600 adults found other concerns included outsourcing of work, the impact of Brexit on employment and automation.

Jobs site Indeed said its research also showed that fewer than one in three workers believe that leaving the EU will boost employment.

Almost a third of workers said immigration had a positive impact on their job, while around half said Brexit had a negative impact.

Mariano Mamertino of Indeed said: "Workers have identified the threat of automation, even if politicians have largely ignored it. In the run-up to the election we have seen campaigns focused on issues such as Brexit, immigration and tax.

"However, these results show that the average worker is much more unnerved by the prospect of being replaced by a machine and companies moving jobs abroad, rather than competition from immigration.

"With net migration to the UK falling in 2016, workers are perhaps ahead of the politicians here.

"While automation and globalisation are a threat to some jobs, they also underpin overall economic growth.

"These are labour market shifts that have an uneven impact on workers and regions, and politicians should demonstrate long-term thinking on jobs and employment in order to tip the balance in favour of the workers who will be hardest hit."

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