Is automation a threat to your profession?

Can automation replace human intelligence? That’s the question researchers at McKinsey & Co. are asking. The firm has released a study that says that automation will eliminate “very few occupations entirely in the next decade.” It goes on to add that automation will eventually affect “portions of almost all jobs to a greater or lesser degree.”

The findings are based on analysis of 2,000-plus work activities across more than 800 occupations and include data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The conclusion of the study is good for you or not depends on how much of your job involves physical activity or operating machinery. The study notes that working on an assembly line is a “highly predictable” physical activity, whereas forestry or raising outdoor animals is much less so. Either way, as tech grows more advanced, expect that percentage to rise.

Even if we keep in mind just the current gamut of technologies available, 78 percent of “predictable physical activities” across manufacturing, retailing, and food service and accommodations could be automated, McKinsey says.

With better technology, white collar occupations—particularly those that involve collecting and processing data—are likely to be automated. And it’s not just entry-level workers who will be impacted, notes McKinsey. “Stock traders and investment bankers live off their wits, yet about 50 percent of the overall time is devoted to collecting and processing data,” the study notes.

However, McKinsey says that although certain aspects of work can be automated, many jobs will always require some human contact, as with nursing. It also notes that automation doesn’t always mean job displacement.

The hardest activities to automate, the study states, are the ones involving managing and developing people, or activities that require decision-making, planning, or creative work.