More than half of UK's furloughed jobs at risk of automation – report

Covid crisis is accelerating change, study by Fabian Society and Community finds

More than half of furloughed jobs in the UK are at the highest risk of automation as the Covid crisis accelerates workplace technology change, driving up redundancies and inequality across the country, according to a report.

The two-year commission on workers and technology, chaired by the Labour MP Yvette Cooper, found that workers in sectors hit hardest by the pandemic - such as hospitality, leisure and retail - face a double whammy" as their jobs are at the most risk of being replaced by machines.