THE COFFEESHOP is an engine of social mobility. Barista jobs require soft skills and little experience, making them a first port of call for young people and immigrants looking for work. So it may be worrying that robotic baristas are spreading. RC Coffee, which bills itself "Canada's first robotic café", opened in Toronto last summer. "[T]he barista-to-customer interaction is somewhat risky despite people's best efforts to maintain a safe environment," the firm says.

In an effort to stay relevant, Galaxy's Australian Futures Survey reveals proactive workers have: The future of work is a hot-button topic being tackled by the #WTFAustralia campaign, which aims to start a conversation about the big issues and encourage problem solvers to share their ideas. Readers can join in tomorrow on the What's the Future, Australia? You can ask an expert for advice if you're concerned or there's a chance to win $500 just by sharing your ideas on the issue. Social analyst David Chalke said whether new technology should be a source of worry or excitement for workers depended on their situation. "If you are 50-plus, tired, low paid and low skilled, you should be terrified because the jobs for you in the future are not going to be there, they will be automated," he said.

Automation has become an increasingly disruptive force in the labor market. Self-driving cars threaten the job security of millions of American truck drivers. At banks, automated tellers are increasingly common. And at wealth management firms, robo -advisers are replacing humans. "Any job that is routine or monotonous runs the risk of being automated away," Yisong Yue, an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology, told Business Insider.