Category: Automation Impact on Jobs

Daniel Sutter: The End of the Allentown Economy

Daniel Sutter: The End of the Allentown Economy

A Remarkably Prescient Song

Over 35 years ago during the 1981-82 recession, Billy Joel released “Allentown” about the plight of this Pennsylvania town. The song resonated across the Midwest during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It also anticipated, I think, an important change in our economy and society.

I was in high school in suburban Detroit when “Allentown,” and Mr. Joel could easily have been singing about our troubles. Unemployment in Pennsylvania topped out at 12.7 percent in the recession, while Michigan hit 16.4 percent. Something seemed fundamentally wrong.Fortunately, the U.S. economy recovered, and growth exceeded 7 […]

What will the future of work look like?

What will the future of work look like?

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Harry Ridgewell attended Chatham House’s Future of Work 2018 conference. The independent commission was set up and is co-chaired by Labour deputy leader Tom Watson. The conference covered the trend of slowing global productivity ( Mckinsey ), how […]

Malcolm Gladwell: This is how you can stay relevant when AI threatens your job

Malcolm Gladwell: This is how you can stay relevant when AI threatens your job

Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell says that as artificial intelligence infiltrates the workforce and robots start taking jobs, there is one clear way to make sure you stay relevant: "Be good at the things that the machine is not."

Overall, he says, "I’m not an alarmist about A.I. I happen to think that there are so many things that we need people to do that are not being done right now," he tells organizational psychologist Adam Grant in the latest TED podcast episode of "WorkLife with Adam Grant."

"Most of it involves communicating with them and empathizing with them and helping them […]

AI: the new frontier of the HR space

AI: the new frontier of the HR space

Some studies have shown that these new technologies can significantly improve current working practices. Robotics and automation have undoubtedly shaped vast advancements over the past few decades. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the next big frontier and, although it’s too soon to predict its full potential, it is already transforming the way we work. Despite job loss fears, the reality is a different story.

Automation does not have to mean job losses. Some studies have shown that these new technologies can significantly improve current working practices. As highlighted in the McKinsey Global Institute’s latest report , while the growth and development […]

Does America need a new social contract? Politicians and tech leaders weigh in on the changing shape of work

Does America need a new social contract? Politicians and tech leaders weigh in on the changing shape of work

Sen. Mark Warner speaks at a progressive politicians event in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Monica Nickelsburg) Technologies younger than some pop stars are dramatically reshaping the modern economy and leaving many workers without the societal protections enjoyed by their parents and grandparents. The 18th Century philosophers who first imagined a “social contract” between government and the governed had no way to predict 21st Century concerns, like a shift from employment to contract work or the looming cloud of automation. I acknowledge that President Trump is probably the worst person in history to be president of the United States but […]

Robots or humans: Which provide a better customer experience?

Robots or humans: Which provide a better customer experience?

Last month, China Construction Bank (CCB) opened the first fully-automated bank branch in China.

Located on Jiujiang Road in downtown Shanghai, the ground-breaking bank branch operates entirely without human tellers. It joins an increasing number of retail outlets, restaurants and other venues across China – and the world – where humans are served exclusively by robotic assistants.

The question of whether robots will take over all of our jobs has been hotly debated over the past several decades – a debate which has recently intensified thanks to advances in artificial intelligence .Partial automation is already widespread in the service industry, […]

Why AI Will Create Jobs

Why AI Will Create Jobs

Photograph by Derek Meijer / Alamy A growing number of people are worried that robots — and other machines with artificial intelligence — will imminently steal so many jobs that it will lead to a future of pervasive unemployment. But even a cursory reading of history will show that we’ve been here before.

Consider a series of headlines pulled from just one newspaper, the New York Times , as an illustration: In 1928, the Times ran an article titled “ March of the Machine Makes Idle Hands .” In 1956, it announced “ Workers See ‘Robot Revolution’ Depriving Them of […]

PREVIEW: Ready For It: Automation & the Future of Work

PREVIEW: Ready For It: Automation & the Future of Work

> 1. © 2018 Matthew R Mottola

3. Matthew empowers innovation through the Future of Work, a paradigm shift in the way we leverage technology to match & manage labor. Currently at Microsoft, Matthew is building the infrastructure to drive enterprise adoption & enablement of the future of work. At Georgia Tech, he is teaching this future. At universities & enterprises, he is speaking on this future. And, for early stage ventures, he is advising on & investing in this future. Whether by choice or chance, his life has always gravitated toward technology and its impact on work. […]

Guaranteed jobs may not solve the Democrats’ bigger problem with many voters

Policies to ensure everyone has a job sound appealing. But they may not help Democrats at the ballot box, and aren’t economically realistic.

The next big idea from the Democrats is a universal guarantee of a job to everyone who wants one.

Sens. Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Bernie Sanders, all potential candidates for president in 2020, have endorsed some version of the idea.Booker would start with a pilot program in 15 urban and rural areas, using federal funds to provide employment at $15 an hour.Gillibrand went considerably further. She told The Nation magazine, “Guaranteed jobs programs, creating floors for wages […]

COMMENTARY: Heading out of town today? Prepare to pay more for gas

COMMENTARY: Heading out of town today? Prepare to pay more for gas

Memorial Day weekend kicks off the annual summer driving season, but like a bad movie we have watched several times before, this holiday weekend is waiting to greet us with higher gasoline prices.

National average gasoline prices today are bumping up against $3 per gallon and could hit $4 per gallon on the West Coast. At the same time, West Texas Intermediate crude oil is now $70 per barrel, up from less than $30 per barrel.

Higher oil prices might be good for Texas oil companies, but if they spike too high too fast, they can be hard for the industry […]