Tag: academic

Will robots replace workers or create new jobs?

Will robots replace workers or create new jobs?

View Slideshow 1 of 3 Will robots work alongside humans, or in place of them?

Automation and robotics are playing an ever-increasing role in the workplace, particularly in manufacturing.

According to the Robotics Industry Association, in the United States, capital investment in robots increased by 13.1% from 2015 to 2016, to $1.81 billion. Many of those investments have been made in Michigan factories.“The biggest user is the automotive industry,” said Jeff Burnstein , president of the Association for Advancing Automation , an industry trade group. “G.M., Ford, Chrysler, are all investing heavily in robotics. So likely that makes [southeast] […]

​Worried that robots will take your job? You should be, as they’ve already cut your pay

​Worried that robots will take your job? You should be, as they've already cut your pay

Researchers estimate that the introduction of robots between 1990 and 2007 resulted in the loss of between 360,000 and 670,000 jobs. A new paper looking at US jobs data and industrial robot usage between 1990 and 2007 paints a bleak picture for the role of humans in tomorrow’s economy.

Economics researchers Daron Acemoglu, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Pascual Restrepo, from Boston University, found "large and robust negative effects of robots on employment and wages" when looking at US employment data over the period.

They attempted to measure the impact robots have had on wages and on employment so […]

The Real Challenge for U.S. Industry

The Real Challenge for U.S. Industry

The conventional wisdom about the decline in American manufacturing jobs is that automation is to blame—“Most US manufacturing jobs lost to technology, not trade,” a Financial Times headline claims. Similarly, a December New York Times article self-assuredly states, “The Long-Term Jobs Killer Is Not China. It’s Automation,” as does CNN Money in its article, “Rise of the machines: Fear robots, not China or Mexico.”

This assessment of the state of U.S. manufacturing rests on two statistics that seem to be in tension. First, employment in U.S. manufacturing has plunged, down 30 percent since 2000. Secondly, manufacturing output has held steady […]

Jobs require an overhaul in education system

Jobs require an overhaul in education system

Rise in AI likely to hurt Centre’s ambition to create millions of jobs. Amidst concern about robots replacing manual labour in the middle skill jobs, a report released by industry body Assocham along with global audit firm PwC has called for an overhaul of the education system to meet the emerging industry demand. (Representational image) MUMBAI: Amidst concern about robots replacing manual labour in the middle skill jobs, a report released by industry body Assocham along with global audit firm PwC has called for an overhaul of the education system to meet the emerging industry demand. The report also […]

Will Industrial Automation Truly Take Our Jobs?

Recently there was a programmer from San Francisco who had managed to automate his work. For six years he didn’t lift a finger to his workplace. Thankfully, he didn’t have any friends who would check up on him – just some developers who would occasionally ask him about the software he was testing. Automation helped him play League of Legends by skipping work.

Even though it sounds fun, there is an underlying horror at this instance. This means that this guy was able to create software that would put him out of work. Eventually, the man did lose his job […]

Geoff Johnson: How do we prepare kids for changing jobs?

Given limitless power, an unconstrained budget and a warm, safe place to sleep, I still would not want to be the person responsible for planning the future of public education. Not at any price.

This is not the place to enter the age-old academic debate about the overall purposes of education — individual fulfilment or preparation for employment. Legendary educator and philosopher John Dewey said: “The general purpose of school is to transfer knowledge and prepare young people to participate in a democratic society.”

The reality is that participation will involve finding something useful and fulfilling to do.But when we read […]

Future economy needs future-ready social safety net

Future economy needs future-ready social safety net

As job insecurity looms in a world of churn, we need to attend to the well-being of citizens too

As a consumer, I love start-ups. Airbnb, Uber and car-sharing apps transformed my vacation experiences, opening up cheaper – and more interesting – accommodation and transport options. You can live in someone’s lovely house, get to know them and their family, drive a neighbour’s car, order food in when you feel like it, and even make new friends instantly via social meet-ups.

In Singapore, I use Uber, Grab and food-delivery platforms. I order food in restaurants from iPads. (Smartphone QR code […]

Will US Workers Have Right Skills for Jobs of the Future?

Will US Workers Have Right Skills for Jobs of the Future?

President Donald Trump arrives to hold a meeting with manufacturing CEOs at the White House in Washington, Feb. 23, 2017. WASHINGTON —

President Donald Trump told the heads of more than 20 of the largest U.S. manufacturers Thursday that he planned to bring millions of factory jobs back to the United States.

Trump said the United States had lost one-third of its manufacturing jobs since the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed, and that 70,000 American factories had closed since China joined the World Trade Organization. FILE – Arms from a robotic welder simulate welds on a piece of metal […]

Face It, Meatsack: Pro Gamer Will Be the Only Job Left

Face It, Meatsack: Pro Gamer Will Be the Only Job Left

Zohar Lazar Look at economic data closely and the trends aren’t pretty: People with elite backgrounds are hoovering up an increasing share of new income and wealth. Automation is obviating more and more jobs. In the years to come, we’ll need new forms of employment. Let’s crystal-ball this: Will there be a new way for the working class of the future to earn a paycheck? Sure. Playing videogames.

That’s the bold prediction of Edward Castronova, an academic at Indiana University who studies the economics of online games. In a white paper released last fall, he argues that within 20 years, […]

What will we do when everything is automated?

What will we do when everything is automated?

Image by : opensource.com Recently, I came across a study the caused me to think beyond the day-to-day world of code-slinging in which I live. According to the study Myth and the Reality of Manufacturing in America (PDF), conducted by Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University in Indiana: "Almost 88% of job losses in manufacturing in recent years can be attributable to productivity growth, and the long-term changes to manufacturing employment are mostly linked to the productivity of American factories." Just translate the term "productivity of American factories" into the word "automation" and you get […]