Report: automation likely to hit rural areas hardest

"Advancing technology and automation are likely to hit rural areas and the middle class hardest, according to a new report by McKinsey," Niv Elis reports for The Hill. "The report, entitled The Future of Work in America, looked at over 3,000 counties and 315 cities, and found that some 83 percent of the counties expected to see the highest levels of job displacement were rural areas. Those vulnerable areas house 20.3 million people."

Urban areas with more educated workers and diversified economies would feel the impact less. The trend will likely widen the rural-urban economic gap; rural areas generally have not recovered as quickly from the Great Recession as urban areas, and some still haven't hit pre-Recession employment levels.

"Another trend the report said was 'worrisome' was the hollowing out of middle-income jobs," Elis reports. "Much of that has to do with what kinds of jobs are created and lost as automation increases. Office support and food service jobs could decline, but jobs in health, STEM fields, business services and more creative fields would see growth."