Over four in ten Indonesians believe their jobs are at risk from robots

Two thirds believe the rise of automation will lead to a loss of jobs in the wider economy

Robots and automation are on the rise, and over four in ten (45%) Indonesians believe that robots will replace them at work, the latest YouGov Omnibus research reveals.

Those working in retail are the most concerned about machines taking their roles, with six in ten (60%) thinking this is possible. At the other end of the scale, only four in ten (38%) of those working in teacher training and education believe they may be replaced by robots. People’s fears about losing their jobs to robots is the same across all age and income groups.

Almost half (47%) of Indonesians believe that robots will have some sort of effect on their jobs. Of those who think this, half (54%) think it will happen in the next 10 years. 36% believe it will take ten years or more, and the remaining 10% already see their roles being affected by robots.

Almost all (95%) Indonesians use technology in their role. A third (34%) of people say their job ‘very much’ involves technology, over four in ten (44%) state it ‘somewhat’ involves it and two in ten (18%) don’t use technology ‘very much’ in their work role. Only 5% have jobs that don’t involve technology.

While 45% are “upskilling” – that is learning additional skills in technology, this jumps to three in five (58%) amongst those who believe their roles are ‘very likely’ to be replaced by robots.

Overall, two thirds (65%) think that robots and automation will lead to a loss of jobs overall in the wider economy. The remaining one third (35%) think that this wider adoption of technology will lead to jobs being created.

Jake Gammon, Head of Omnibus at YouGov APAC commented: “As we ride the wave of automation, it’s interesting to see the wide gap between those who think it will lead to job losses overall and those who think their role could be taken by a machine. The question will be whether Indonesians are able to adapt to upcoming changes in the workforce.”

***Results based on 1,017 Indonesians surveyed by YouGov Omnibus