Create your own job, workers told

Don't be surprised to find yourself calling a computer a colleague in the next few years.

But if you're worried your job is about to be usurped by a robot, take heart in that machines may only be doing routine, repetitive type work - and the creative stuff left to you.

A new report into the future of Australia's workforce paints an interesting picture of the skills workers will need to compete in the increasingly digital workplaces in the next two decades.

While almost half of the jobs in Australia are at risk of computerisation and automation, many new ones are likely to pop up because of technological advances, the CSIRO report says.

The rise of robots and artificial intelligence will mean workers with problem-solving skills and advanced reasoning, complex judgment, social interaction and emotional intelligence will be highly sought after.

But humans will complement, not compete with robots, which will probably take on structured and rules-based work.

"A lot of jobs are going to be extinguished by technology but a lot of new jobs are going to get created," the CSIRO's Stefan Hajkowicz said.

"The challenge is working out how to differentiate and plug in your skill sets."

Workers will also need to be savvy and entrepreneurial, creating their own jobs instead of relying on the "job for life" or an ideal gig with a big company.

That means they'll have to be digitally-minded, and consider studying science, engineering, technology or maths, which are among the fastest-growing occupations and pay grades.

And while most people have finished school having learnt their numbers and letters, they may need to add digital literacy to the mix to even gain a foothold in most future workplaces.

Employees could also find themselves working multiple jobs or freelancing, with companies choosing to have a small number of core staff backed up by freelancers.