Monday 28 January 2019

People in Ireland almost certain that large scale job automation is coming, but less sure of the consequences

Reach Insights Press Release

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28th January 2019

People in Ireland almost certain that large scale job automation is coming, but less sure of the consequences


Only 16% see no threat to employment in Ireland as advances are made in technology

55% view job automation as positive for the Irish economy

However, around 3 in 4 believe automation will increase unemployment

A recently conducted study by iReach has found that people in Ireland are almost certain that developments in technology will see job automation continue to rise in prominence. However, the nationally representative survey of 1001 people found that no such certainty is apparent when considering the consequences either positive or negative of such automation.

94% of respondents believe that large scale job automation will occur at some point in the future, with 46% predicting this eventuality will come to pass in the very near future.

When thinking about the impact of job automation on the productivity and prosperity of the Irish economy, 55% view it as a positive, with those who view the impact as a negative slightly further back at 45%.

A mere 16% see no threat to employment in Ireland as advances are made in technology, with 63% of respondents who feel that technology has created more jobs that it has destroyed.

Nonetheless, this positivity does not extend to future forecasts, as 76% believe that job automation will contribute to a rise in unemployment and for further 71% being solely dependent on machines in manufacturing is very dangerous.

The leading forms of technology and automation that people in Ireland are most used to encountering are ATMs (91%), smartphones (80%), self-checkouts (80%), automated telephone calls (76%) and online check-ins (74%).

63% do not believe that the idea of machine concierges and receptionists will become a phenomenon in the Irish hospitality industry. 56% also predict that this “robotic” way of running a hospitality business will not become a threat in Ireland, with the top cited reason that a high level of customer service trumps a robot, as people want the personal touch (61%).





About iReach Insights

iReach Insights provides a range of research and market intelligence services in Ireland and Europe. iReach has built a Consumer Decisions Research Panel of 40,000 members in Ireland, delivering robust research insights. The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between the 10th January and the 17th January and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.


Questions asked of participants as follows:

Do you believe that job automation is something that will occur on a large scale in the near future?
Do you believe that job automation is positive in terms of productivity and prosperity in the Irish economy?
Do you consider advances in technology and job automation as a threat to the employment rate in Ireland?
Do you agree or disagree with the following statements: Job automation is an inevitable phenomenon/ Job automation is very beneficial for quality and safety of work/ Being solely dependent on machines in manufacturing is very dangerous/ Job automation will contribute to a rise in unemployment/ Technology has created more jobs than has destroyed them.
Which of the following technologies have you used before?
Do you think the idea of machine concierges and receptionists instead of humans in hotels will become a phenomenon in Ireland in the hospitality industry?
Do you think that this “robotic” way of running hospitality businesses will become a threat?



iReach Insights Limited – Temple Hall, Temple Road, Blackrock, CO. Dublin, IRELAND.



iReach Managing Director: Oisin Byrne
T: 01-214 3740 or email: 
PR@ireachhq.com

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