One in five existing jobs in British cities are likely to be displaced by 2030 as a result of automation and globalization, amounting to 3.6 million jobs in total, according to a study from think tank Centre for Cities.

The study showed that retail occupations, customer service roles and warehouse jobs are among those most at threat.

Centre for Cities’ report showed that the risk of job losses to robots is not spread evenly across the country, with cities in the North and Midlands more exposed to job losses than wealthier cities in the South. Around 18% of jobs are under threat in Southern cities, compared to 23% in cities elsewhere in the country.

The cities least exposed to losing jobs are also home to larger shares of high skilled private sector occupations which are expected to grow by 2030. For example, nearly 50% of jobs predicted to increase in Cambridge – and a third of those in Oxford and Aldershot – are in high skilled private sector occupations. The large numbers of high skilled private sector jobs in these cities will also help them to attract more jobs in new industries and occupations which emerge in the future.

In contrast, cities in the North and Midlands are more likely to see growth in low skilled private sector jobs – and so could fall further behind. This growing reliance on low skilled private sector jobs means that the gulf in living standards and wages between struggling Northern and Midlands cities, and wealthier places in the South, will continue to widen in the coming decades, the study finds.

“In an ever-more divided country, it’s increasingly clear that a one-size-fits-all approach from central government is inadequate to address the myriad issues that different places face,” Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, said. “The challenges and opportunities ahead for Blackburn are very different to those for Brighton. The Government needs to give cities more powers and resources to tackle the issues that automation and globalisation will present, and to make the most of the benefits they will bring.”

Carter added that the UK needs greater investment in lifelong learning and technical education to help adults adapt to the changing labour market, and better retraining for people who lose their jobs because of those changes.