Small towns specializing in mining, oil and gas and manufacturing are most prone to losing jobs to robots, according to research from the Brookfield Institute.

A research report released Friday entitled Automation Across the Nation breaks down the locations and sectors most prone to losing jobs to increasing computerization and robotics.

In addition to shedding light on susceptible small towns like Ingersoll, Ont. and Quesnel, B.C. the report also identified accommodation and food services as the sectors most likely to be affected by automation. It found that 69 per cent of tasks in that industry could potentially be automated.

The reports authors, Matthew Lo and Creig Lamb sought to take the automation issue to a micro level after seeing an abundance of national data.

To date, studies examining the potential labour market impacts of modern advances in machine learning, robotics, and other technologies, have largely been limited to the national scale in Canada, they wrote in the report.

While these studies are necessary to set the context, Canadas large, diverse economy means that the effects will undoubtedly be experienced differently across the country.

For example, Woodstock, Ont. with a population of just over 30,000 25 per cent of which works in manufacturing had 50 per cent of its workforce susceptible to automation.

The news was not good for Canadas oil sands heartland, either, as Wood Buffalo, Alta. ranked as one of the more endangered locations in the nation. About 30 percent of the areas, 54,000-plus citizens work in the resource sector and about half of those jobs could potentially be automated, according to the report.

Conversely, cities with large hospitals, colleges and universities or a distinct public sector footprint are in less danger. The report identified locations like Ottawa, Kingston, Ont. and Corner Brook, Nfld. as being well-insulated against automation.

Canadas bigger cities are less prone, due to a smaller reliance on manufacturing. However, the report found that cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver still had 46 per cent of total tasks susceptible to automation.

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Small energy or manufacturing-reliant towns most in danger of job automation: Study - BNN