Tag: consumer

Chinese millennials are looking past factory jobs now. It’s all part of the plan

Chinese millennials are looking past factory jobs now. It's all part of the plan

Chinese millennials are looking past factory jobs now. It’s all part of the plan Life as one of China’s industrial worker ants did not suit Liu Xu: waking up early in factory accommodation, working for 11 hours operating a machine in the tool-making factory, eating all his meals in the factory canteen and going to bed, only to wake up and do it again.

His parents spent most of their lives in deadening jobs — his father on construction sites and his mother in factories — but 23-year-old Liu Xu lasted just a year in a factory in the southern […]

Fareed Zakaria: National service can mend country

Fareed Zakaria: National service can mend country

Fareed Zakaria, The Washington Post Hide caption By Fareed Zakaria / The Washington Post

(Editor’s note: The following column is adapted from Fareed Zakaria’s commencement address May 5 at Ohio State University.)

NEW YORK It’s graduation season in America and a good time to be leaving college and looking for a job. Despite recent stock market tremors, the American economy is on solid footing. Now in its 120th month of expansion, there are few signs of bubbles about to burst. Unemployment is way down, inflation is contained, wages are finally moving up and, perhaps most significantly, productivity […]

Are Humans Becoming Obsolete in the Workforce?

Are Humans Becoming Obsolete in the Workforce?

Robotic automation and artificial intelligence have changed the face of our society. Robots have already replaced human workers on factory production lines, building everything from toy cars to real ones; and in agriculture, picking and processing nuts and grains with greater efficiency than any human labor force ever could. This wave continues, with drones, driverless cars, even AI medical diagnostics. Is there anything a human can do that a computer can’t do better, or are humans in danger of becoming obsolete?

The worry for millions of people is that they may be replaced in the workforce, either by a robot […]

National service can bring us together as a nation

The following column is adapted from Fareed Zakaria’s commencement address at Ohio State University on May 5, 2019.

It’s graduation season in America and a good time to be leaving college and looking for a job. Despite this week’s stock market tremors, the U.S. economy is on solid footing. Now in its 120th month of expansion, the economy shows few signs of bubbles about to burst. Unemployment is way down, inflation is contained, wages are finally moving up, and, perhaps most significantly, productivity is up. Some of these trends might prove ephemeral, but there is no denying that economic […]

SA’s evolving employment landscape and the future of work

The future of jobs has been on the agenda of many South Africans as we head up to the election polls, and having recently celebrated workers day.

With the world of work having radically changed over the years we look at the current employment landscape, highlighting trends that are shaping our workforce as well as areas that still need improvement.

There’s no denying that we exist in a technology-driven world filled with endless possibilities to change the way we live, work and interact. Yet, with promise comes challenges, and even though automation and artificial intelligence have the ability to boost productivity […]

Machines could fuel comeback of textile industry in South

Machines could fuel comeback of textile industry in South

A control panel for automated textile-making “Sewbots” is shown. Provided/SoftWear Automation ATLANTA — Machines are transforming the way textiles are produced — and they could fuel a comeback for the Southern textile industry.

Automation and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing the workplace in the United States, as machines perform tasks once done by humans, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported .

Now, automated sewing could breathe new life into the South’s garment industry, which has been decimated in recent decades as jobs went to cheaper workers overseas.But it will look a lot different than before.The idea behind one textile manufacturing plant of the future […]

The Amazon/Walmart Whole Paycheck Tracker: Glimpsing The Future Of Automation And One-Day Delivery

The Amazon/Walmart Whole Paycheck Tracker: Glimpsing The Future Of Automation And One-Day Delivery

This week both Amazon and Walmart were offering up pictures — albeit with very different levels of detail built in — of how the immediate retail future will take shape. Amazon laid out what its decade-long march to fully-automated warehouses will likely look like, while Walmart didn’t offer up a specific plan (or a due date) so much as hint that something “groundbreaking” is coming.

Outside of the previews of the future this week, the world also got a glimpse at what the last few laps in the race for the consumers’ whole paycheck are shaping up to be — […]

AI Is Changing The Frontline Worker’s Role — And How You Train Them

AI Is Changing The Frontline Worker's Role -- And How You Train Them

When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, headlines like, ”Will Robots Take Our Children’s Jobs?” make it easy to get distracted by the fear-factor narrative. It’s not that AI won’t change the employment landscape — according to McKinsey , it will certainly impact the jobs of workers whose roles require them to perform physical activities or operate machinery in a predictable environment. In fact, almost one-fifth of the time spent in U.S. workplaces involves performing such tasks, most commonly in sectors like manufacturing, food service and retail.

So, it’s the frontline workers in these sectors that have […]

Changing consumer expectations – how can manufacturers keep up?

Changing consumer expectations – how can manufacturers keep up?

Universal Robots ANZ country manager, Peter Hern, explains how manufacturers
can stay on top of consumers’ changing demands.

Consumer expectations of service are changing rapidly, placing greater demands on businesses to improve, or risk failure. The ease of access afforded by online shopping sites, and the rising popularity of same day delivery services has led to audiences that expect goods faster, and of a higher quality. Alongside these trends, consumers are becoming more ethically and sustainably-minded, with an increasing preference for businesses that share their values.
To keep up, many businesses are already integrating faster and more agile procedures […]

‘Globalisation is moving from products to services and data’

'Globalisation is moving from products to services and data'

Hans-Paul Burkner, Chairman of the Boston Consulting Group (Photograph by Shekhar Ghosh) A lot of countries are closing borders, and there is a mood of anti-globalisation. There are right-wing attacks. How does this effect business?

It is not just right-wing attack but a populist attack from both sides of the extreme. They are seeing loss of control. In developed countries, they fear losing factories, and jobs. Overall, we have gone through a very positive development across the world, which has reduced poverty, increased life expectancy. More children are going to schools than ever before. Fewer people die than ever […]