To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the of the effect the implementation of self-service checkouts by retailers on levels of employment.

Government monitors employment in the retail sector through statistics provided annually by the Office for National Statistics, which show that over the last 10 years retail employment has remained broadly consistent at between 3.2 and 3.3 million.

We are working to make skills training available for those whose jobs may be affected by new technologies. Both our Industrial Strategy and the AI Sector Deal set out how we are helping people develop the skills needed for the jobs of the future, including retraining and researching the impact of automation across sectors.