Primary and secondary school students’ career aspirations and job automation-related risks

Abstract

To explore the differential impact of job automation for different groups of primary and secondary school students, an analysis of variance was conducted using survey data on the occupational aspirations of British school students (aged 7–18) and probability statistics derived from a model of job automation. Results indicated that students aged 13 years old and above were more than twice as likely to express an occupational aspiration associated with a high risk of automation, along with a higher proportion of male students, lower socio-economic groups, and respondents knowing someone (particularly a parent) holding their desired occupation (P <.05).