The Fourth Industrial Revolution is already sweeping across the UK, but its impact will provoke more turbulence in some parts of the country than others. Mid-sized cities, such as Sunderland, Wakefield and Doncaster, are at higher risk of losing jobs to automation by 2030 than other British cities.

That’s why, today, Key Cities’ Economic Growth Commission is calling on the UK and devolved governments to establish mid-sized cities as the UK’s automation pilot areas (AutoPilots). This initiative would see national governments and mid-sized cities working in partnership to develop and trial a wide range of employment and skills policies, intended to support mid-sized cities and the rest of the UK to prosper in the automation age.