WASHINGTON, May 20 (Xinhua) -- More than one in four U.S. workers believe that their job could be eliminated by new technology within 20 years, a new Gallup poll has found.
The April 27-May 4 poll shows that 26 percent of U.S. workers say that it is likely that their job will be eliminated by new technology, automation, artificial intelligence or robots within the next 20 years.
It also finds that 13 percent of U.S. workers believe that this will happen within the next five years.
But a solid majority of U.S. workers, or 62 percent, say it is not at all likely that their job will be replaced by new technology, while 45 percent say this will not happen within the next 20 years.
There are few significant differences in these attitudes by age, with younger workers about as likely as those who are older to perceive their jobs as threatened by technology going forward, Gallup said.
In the short term, U.S. workers who are college graduates (5 percent) are significantly less likely than workers who are not graduates (16 percent) to say their jobs will be eliminated by technology in five years.
The workplace has already seen many changes in recent years as younger workers increasingly shift from job to job over their careers rather than working for one employer, Gallup said.
"The impact of artificial intelligence, automation and robots presents yet another challenge for workers and organizations," it said.
The effect of new technology in the workplace is no longer merely speculative, as reports increasingly suggest these processes are already taking away what used to be considered stable jobs, according to Gallup.
