Localis report warns of job losses because of robots

England's poorest towns are set to be hit hardest by the rise of robots and automation, a new report today warns. Large swathes of the country face potentially devastating job losses because of a failure to equip workers with the skills for industries of the future, the paper says. The report, by the think-tank Localis, warned of a'staggering gulf' in how well-prepared different parts of the country are to adapt to the looming change in jobs. And it called for the government to devolve polices like apprenticeships and skills training to help different areas re-train people in a bid to prevent mass job losses. The report said England's economic prosperity faces a triple threat from automation, poor skills and a potential drop in migrant labour after Brexit. The vast bulk of funding is poured into the'golden triangle' of London, Oxford and Cambridge - leaving them well-equipped to take advantage of the change.