Study shows
Cities Outlook 2018 is the Centre’s annual health-check on the performance of UK city economies (published today). The report focuses this year on the potential impact of automation and globalisation in driving both jobs growth and job losses in British cities over the coming decades.
It reveals that 1 in 5 existing jobs in British cities are likely to be displaced by 2030 as a result of automation and globalisation – amounting to 3.6m jobs in total – with retail occupations, customer service roles and warehouse jobs among those most at threat.
The report shows that around 16 per cent of existing jobs in London are likely to be displaced by 2030, amounting to around 907,800 jobs in total. However, this is one of the lowest shares of jobs at risk in any British city:
Top 10 British cities least at risk of job losses resulting from automation and globalisation (rank out of 62 British cities)
| Rank | City | Share of jobs likely to be lost by 2030 | Share of residents who voted for Brexit | Average weekly workplace wages in 2017 |
| 1 | Oxford | 13% | 30% (60/62) | £600 (7/62) |
| 2 | Cambridge | 13% | 26% (61/62) | £609 (5/62) |
| 3 | Reading | 15% | 43% (52/62) | £655 (2/62) |
| 4 | Worthing | 16% | 53% (42/62) | £455 (55/62) |
| 5 | London | 16% | 42% (53/62) | £727 (1/62) |
| 6 | Edinburgh | 18% | 26% (62/62) | £598 (8/62) |
| 7 | Brighton | 19% | 36% (58/62) | £496 (37/62) |
| 8 | Blackpool | 19% | 63% (14/62) | £500 (33/62) |
| 9 | York | 19% | 42% (54/62) | £501 (32/62) |
| 10 | Portsmouth | 19% | 59% ( 18/62) | £520 (21/62) |
| Britain average | 21% | 52% | £539 |
In contrast, the cities with the highest shares of jobs at risk are mostly struggling cities in the North and Midlands – many of which were among the places which voted most strongly in favour of leaving the EU:
Top 10 British cities most at risk of job losses resulting from automation and globalisation (rank out of 62 British cities)
| Rank | City | Share of jobs likely to be lost by 2030 | Share of residents who voted for Brexit | Average weekly workplace wages in 2017 |
| 1 | Mansfield | 29% | 70% (1/62) | £472 (48/62) |
| 2 | Sundersland | 29% | 61% (15/62) | £484 (41/62) |
| 3 | Wakefield | 29% | 66% (7/62) | £483 (42/62) |
| 4 | Stoke | 28% | 67% (6/62) | £455 (53/62) |
| 5 | Doncaster | 27% | 69% (2/62) | £447 (58/62) |
| 6 | Blackburn | 26% | 56% (29/62) | £488 (39/62) |
| 7 | Northampton | 26% | 58% (22/62) | £508 (25/62) |
| 8 | Dundee | 25% | 40% (55/62) | £503 (28/62) |
| 9 | Huddersfield | 25% | 55% (34/62) | £424 (61/62) |
| 10 | Telford | 25% | 63% (13/62) | £497 (35/62) |
| Britain average | 21% | 52% | £539 |
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