A REPORT on the future of Australia's workforce says many local jobs have a moderate to high likelihood of being lost to technological advancements.

The Committee for Economic Development of Australia report predicts a high probability technology could replace more than five million Australian jobs within 15 years.

Southern Downs Regional Council Mayor Peter Blundell believes CEDA's figure is at the higher end of the scale.

He said technology advances were most likely to affect the resources sector. But Cr Blundell said for those jobs lost, there would be others created, such as information technology roles.

Widespread computerisation of normal human jobs is expected to expand competition through reducing consumer costs and worker incomes.

Another part of what has been dubbed the new industrial revolution is globalisation, where workers across the world use technology to perform jobs in remote locations.

The Local Government Association of Queensland is already looking at leasing drones as low-cost measures for councils to monitor landfill sites and roads, and gauge disaster damage.

A new report from the Foundation for Young Australians found more than 90% of the workforce would need digital skills to communicate and find information in the next two to five years.

CEDA chief Stephen Martin believes innovation and reskilling mature age workers are vital to addressing the rapidly changing employment scene.

He suggested a Danish scheme where people were trained in professions the economy needed instead of participating in work-for-the-dole projects.