Category: Automation Impact on Jobs

Five Questions for David Autor

Five Questions for David Autor

During the presidential campaign, immigration and free trade were largely blamed for stealing American jobs. But more recently, another boogeyman has been gaining attention: the dismayingly capable robot. In a recent talk about the future of work, economist David Autor addresses the question of why there are still so many jobs and comes up with a surprising, hopeful answer. Automation, amped up by artificial intelligence and its potential impact on future employment has sparked research, debate, and disagreement among a wide range of stakeholders. Consulting firm PwC is the latest to jump into the prediction game, arguing in March […]

Rise in flexible working coincides with the rise of robots

Rise in flexible working coincides with the rise of robots

‘Far from the widespread fear that automation will make employees redundant, our research shows that the workplace of the future could create opportunities for more flexible and fulfilling work’ Nick Ismail Adecco, part of The Adecco Group UK&I – a provider of workforce solutions, has launched research which found that almost half of employees (48%) think artificial intelligence (AI) will positively benefit them, by helping them to work more flexibly.

The ‘Humans vs Robots’ report, based on responses from 1,000 board level and senior decision makers and over 1,000 workers in 13 sectors across the UK, revealed the potential impact […]

MORADI | Automation Nation

MORADI | Automation Nation

Ah, springtime. The sun is (relatively) out, flowers are blooming, birds are singing and nearly half of American jobs are at risk of being completely eradicated due to automation.

Automation is hitting the U.S. job market as suddenly as that segue. An oft-cited 2013 study by economist Carl Frey and computer scientist Michael Osborne estimates that 47 percent of American employment is at high risk of being entirely automated. The most automatable jobs are fairly obvious: repetitive manufacturing jobs, telemarketing and occupations that deal mostly with clerking top the list. Some jobs, though, are surprisingly automatable: models and real-estate brokers, […]

Please stop saying I’ll be replaced by a robot

Please stop saying I'll be replaced by a robot

We should not fear smarter thinking machines as these will free us to focus on performing even better

I suppose I could sit here and fret over a day in the not-too-distant future when a robot powered by artificial intelligence(AI) will spit out newspaper columns like this one, rendering redundant columnists like me. After all, there have been reports that computers can already churn out news reports that read almost as well as those written by journalists, and in a fraction of the time taken.

The thought of being replaced by software is depressing and, I might add, self-defeating.That is […]

Will a universal basic income make the U.S. better?

Will a universal basic income make the U.S. better?

To better understand the future of our economy and work, especially in the wake of globalization and automation, there is a growing body of literature worth paying attention to.

One recent book that deserves attention is “Raising the Floor: How a Universal Basic Income Can Renew our Economy and Rebuild the American Dream” by Andy Stern. As the former president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Stern grew SEIU by 1.2 million members to make it one of the fastest growing unions in the world – an anomaly in an increasingly non-unionized economy.

Drawing on these experiences as well as […]

Does Automation Kill Jobs? Nope—But Offshoring Does

Does Automation Kill Jobs? Nope—But Offshoring Does

Baxter automated assembly line robot Automation Isn’t The Job Killer It’s Cracked Up To Be

CNN says automation is to blame for America’s manufacturing job losses; and what’s worse, there’s more to come —and no, it has absolutely nothing to do with bad trade deals like NAFTA, nor China’s predatory trading strategy.

Nope. Nothing to see here people. Move along.Automation is bad, and your jobs are never coming back. This view was echoed recently by the Guardian too.Of course, this is all just fake news—CNN has to earn its reputation somehow.In reality, automation is only half the story : […]

Are you ready for the ‘robocalypse’ coming to manufacturing?

Are you ready for the ‘robocalypse’ coming to manufacturing?

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Share this article Automation is the newest buzzword on everyone’s lips when it comes to manufacturing. Is it reliable? Will it really replace humans effectively? Will there be a pushback from consumers?

Apprehensive questions abound, but many are born out of misunderstanding the spread of automation, or overly-optimistic forecasts over how quickly "the turnover" will actually eclipse flesh-and-blood workers.The idea of using machinery to increase efficiency is hardly new — the Industrial Revolution was a major turning point in America’s history, after all — but advances like nuanced sensors and AI are unveiling capabilities we couldn’t have dreamed about […]

Make in India: Importance of Robotics in the manufacturing segment, and how it can still create jobs

Make in India: Importance of Robotics in the manufacturing segment, and how it can still create jobs

Image: Reuters By Somshubhro Pal Choudhury and Anil Paranjape

Editor’s Note: This is part 2 of a two-part series on the role of productivity in making ‘Make In India’ a successful program. You can read Part 1 here .

Case for Robotics in Industry 4.0 Automation and robotics technologies are in their infancy in Indian medium-size factories since technical feasibility and return on investment (RoI) are preconditions for deployment. Factories review RoI basis a 2-3 year horizon, which becomes a difficult RoI with the cheap cost of labor.RoI needs to be examined basis higher output levels, better […]

How to close the tech-job gap for minorities and low-income earners

How to close the tech-job gap for minorities and low-income earners

Seventy percent of LaunchCode’s students are making less than $30,000 a year. – Last year, White House economists predicted that low-income workers — those who make less than $20 an hour — face the highest probability of losing their jobs to robots. But people of color are especially at risk: an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released a report last year finding that just about 8 percent of tech-sector jobs are held by Hispanics and 7.4 percent by African-Americans.

But there are some organizations out there trying to close the gap and make sure low-income workers and people of color aren’t […]

Thinking Through How Automation Will Affect Your Workforce

Thinking Through How Automation Will Affect Your Workforce

Today, executives have to cut through a lot of hype around automation. Leaders need a clear-eyed way to think about how these technologies will specifically affect their organizations. The right question isn’t which jobs are going to be replaced, but rather, what work will be redefined, and how ? Based on our work with a number of organizations grappling with these issues, we’ve found that the following four-step approach can help.

1. Start with the work, not the “job” or the technology. Much work will continue to exist as traditional “jobs” in organizations, but automation makes traditional jobs more […]