A new survey states: about 75% of Israelis are not afraid that the innovative technologies will harm their livelihood

Are you afraid that robots will replace you? A survey prepared for the iNNOVEX2017 conference shows that Israelis are optimistic, and their confidence in their employment future increases the higher their education

In today's digital reality, banks are cutting back on clerks in favor of digital, taxi drivers fear UBER and managers may be replaced by artificial intelligence systems. Market experts also predict that in the near future robots with artificial intelligence will perform actions more efficiently than humans and as a result, many professions will disappear from the world.

On the other hand, a new omnibus survey conducted ahead of the innovation conference iNNOVEX2017 by the polling company "Sample" indicates that a vast majority of the Israeli public does not fear harm to their livelihood or the livelihood of their relatives in the coming decade, following the integration of robots and artificial intelligence systems into our lives.

According to the results of the survey, about 75% of the sample respondents are not at all concerned that the future technology will harm their livelihood or the livelihood of those close to them. The survey also shows that the 30-49 age group is the least concerned about the introduction of technologies and its effect on their employment. The 18-29 year olds are the most worried (31%) and in between are the 50-70 year olds, only about 23% of whom express concern for their livelihood or the livelihood of their loved ones in the future.

Those with secondary education are more than twice as worried compared to those with higher secondary and academic education.

An interesting statistic in the survey indicates that the higher the level of education, the smaller the concerns about a situation in which technology will harm the livelihood of Israeli residents - 37% of those with a high school education expressed concern about their employment or that of their loved ones as a result of the introduction of technology, compared to only about 16% of those with an academic education and 17% have a high school education.

According to the survey data, those who earn a salary below the average are twice as worried as those who earn above the average. About a third (27%) of those with a salary below the average expressed concern, while only about 16% of those with a salary below the average were worried about the introduction of technology.

In the division between the sexes, the level of job security is quite similar: 74% of the women and 76% of the men said that they are not worried about losing their job. The survey was carried out by Sample Consulting and Research Ltd. through an internet omnibus among 510 interviewees, who are a representative sample of the Hebrew-speaking adult population, members of the iPanel internet panel.

The survey was conducted ahead of the technological innovation conference iNNOVEX 2017, which will be held on February 8 at the AVENUE conference center at Kiryat Airport. The conference will deal with a variety of issues related to technological innovation - the main resource thanks to which the knowledge-rich industry in Israel has developed. Dozens of managers and innovation experts from all over the world will come to participate in the conference. This year the conference will be dedicated to the memory of the late former President Shimon Peres, who contributed greatly to the advancement of technological innovation in the State of Israel.

"Despite the predictions of the experts and even though in recent years one can often find examples in which technology has replaced human labor, I was happy to discover that the majority of the public in Israel does not see technology as a threat to the human workforce and future sources of livelihood," said Shlomo Gerdman, Forum Chairman High-tech CEOs in Israel and co-chairman of the iNNOVEX2017 conference.

"Israel is often called the nation of innovation thanks to the innovative technologies developed here. I am happy to discover that this survey also indicates that we are a nation that is not afraid of technological innovation and that a significant majority of Israeli citizens are confident in our ability to adapt to new technologies and to find new sources of employment, even when some of the daily tasks will be performed by robots, including housework and driving in the car. I am afraid that service workers such as workers in the travel and tourism industry, accountants and lawyers may be harmed by the new technologies, while the demand for talented programmers and engineers will only increase," Gerdman concluded.
For more details about the iNNOVEX2017 conference