Approved work: Barriers to digital transformation projects in government
New parliamentary briefing approved on the barriers to digital transformation projects.

Automation technologies can reduce costs and raise productivity. However, there is considerable uncertainty over their potential effects on the UK workforce. This note provides an overview of how these technologies are being used; and potential implications for employment, skills, education and inequality in the coming decades.
Automation and the Workforce (321 KB , PDF)
Advances in robotics and computing are enabling the automation of a greater range of tasks than has been possible previously. Activities such as driving a car, writing an earnings report or translating a text from one language to another can now be carried out autonomously. Use of automation technologies can increase productivity, product reliability and worker safety, while reducing costs.
Technology has not historically led to long-term unemployment, although it has displaced workers from specific tasks and altered the type of employment available. Opinion is divided on whether this pattern will continue, and concerns have been raised by some economists, technology experts and others that automation may lead to job losses occurring at a faster rate than job creation.
This briefing outlines current applications of automation technologies and their potential implications for the UK workforce, including for jobs, skills, education and inequality.
Automation and the Workforce (321 KB , PDF)
New parliamentary briefing approved on the barriers to digital transformation projects.
Countries increasingly prioritise economic security in geopolitics and trade. How can the UK enhance its security while upholding rules-based free trade?
UK national security risks are growing with the wider use of digital technologies. Could these technologies also strengthen UK national defence?