Tag: consumer

Will Amazon’s $15 minimum wage cost US jobs?

Will Amazon’s $15 minimum wage cost US jobs?

E-commerce giant Amazon’s decision to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour is expected to pressure others businesses to do the same, which could be bad news for workers, some experts predict.

The move toward a $15 nationwide minimum wage gained momentum last campaign cycle, and some states have already put plans in place to raise the statewide minimum wage to that level within the coming years.

But while workers may be cheering the rising wages, not all experts believe a $15 minimum wage will benefit the labor force.California, for example, reached a deal on legislation to raise the state […]

From Reindeer to Robots, Automation Set to Deliver This Holiday Season

From Reindeer to Robots, Automation Set to Deliver This Holiday Season

“It’s a fight for talent…It’s like ‘Game of Thrones’ out there,” Erik Caldwell, chief operating officer for supply chain in the Americas and Asia Pacific at XPO Logistics Inc., XPO 3.02% said at an industry conference earlier this year, discussing the company’s use of robots to fulfill online orders. Also in Logistics

The use of robotics and other automation technology in industrial operations is growing, although the vast majority of warehouse work remains largely manual. About 16.5% of organizations across several industries including warehousing are now using commercial service robots, and 21.5% have them in pilots, according to a […]

Automation And The Future Of Work

Automation And The Future Of Work

AUTOMATION AND THE FUTURE OF WORK

Understanding the impact of automation on workers throughout the world.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. AUTOMATION ACROSS THE WORLD – Summary, Advances In Technologies, Worker Displacement, Probabilities of Automation, Research Studies Suggest High Probabilities Of Automation, It’s Different This Time 2. SUSCEPTIBILITY TO AUTOMATION IN THE WORLD ECONOMIES – Developing Economies, Advanced Economies 3. GENERAL CONSEQUENCES – Political, Economic 4. SOME SOLUTIONS – Prepare For Automation With “Difficult To Automate” Skills, Convince Employers And Educational Institutions To Address The Skills Gap, Pursue High Skill Occupations, Education – Real World Project Challenges […]

Airport workers in New York, New Jersey to receive minimum of $19 per hour

Airport workers in New York, New Jersey to receive minimum of $19 per hour

It’s being called the highest minimum wage in the country. Thousands of airport workers in New York and New Jersey — baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, people at concession stands — will see their hourly pay rise to $19 by 2023, after the Port Authority Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday to require businesses to increase the minimum wage.

“We believe this substantially improved minimum wage for airport workers will greatly reduce turnover, improve morale and develop better trained workers as critical contributors to airport operations and security in this post 9/11 world,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said […]

Airport Workers in New York, New Jersey To Receive Minimum Of $19 Per Hour

Airport Workers in New York, New Jersey To Receive Minimum Of $19 Per Hour

Workers at Newark Liberty International Airport, photographed in July, are getting a wage boost starting Nov. 1, The Port Authority Board of Commissioners announced Thursday. It’s being called the highest minimum wage in the country. Thousands of airport workers in New York and New Jersey — baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, people at concession stands — will see their hourly pay rise to $19 by 2023, after The Port Authority Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday to require businesses to increase the minimum wage.

"We believe this substantially improved minimum wage for airport workers will greatly reduce turnover, improve morale […]

The Future of Work: Youth sceptical of A.I., ‘work as a service’ rising | SPECIAL REPORT

The Future of Work: Youth sceptical of A.I., ‘work as a service’ rising | SPECIAL REPORT

Chris Middleton looks at another new report on the future of work, and finds troubling gaps between the promise of AI and automation, and the real world the technologies are delivering.

In-depth analysis and comment Internet of Business says

With automation and AI sweeping into the workplace, a new report on the future of work finds that the younger workers are, the more sceptical they are of the benefits of the technology.In all, 50 percent of workers are not convinced about the benefits of AI, claims collaboration tech provider, Fuze. However, only 36 percent of employees over the […]

Will technology create or destroy jobs in China?

Will technology create or destroy jobs in China?

It seems like China is actually going to gain jobs as a result of AI. Source: Shutterstock. TECHNOLOGIES such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, drones, and autonomous vehicles have the potential to destroy jobs. 9 OUT OF 10 AI STARTUPS IN CHINA WILL FAIL WITHIN THE NEXT TWO YEARS In some parts of the world, such as the US and the UK, governments and regulators are concerned about the impact of such technologies on the economic machinery of the country and deliberating whether measures to slow down or halt their progress are needed.

In China, however, the story seems a […]

Rest Easy, Sort of: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Destroys

Rest Easy, Sort of: AI Will Create More Jobs Than It Destroys

Artificial intelligence, robotics and the fourth industrial revolution are setting the stage for a massive, global expansion in job creation, according to a new report released by the World Economic Forum .

Entitled “ The Future of Jobs ”, the report predicts that although the new technology will wipe out 75 million jobs worldwide by 2022, 133 million new jobs will be created in their place. The Swiss organization behind the annual agenda-setting Davos summit claims that on the whole, the robot revolution will by far deliver a net positive contribution to employment. Smooth Sailing or Storms Ahead?

The […]

Automation in a low-wage country

Automation in a low-wage country

Robots are common in car production: VW production line in Puebla, Mexico. © Lossie/picture-alliance/dpa

Evermore industrial robots are being used in Mexico, where the potential for automation is great. To what extent robots will really replace low-wage labour remains to be seen however.

Mexico has historically been a low-wage economy. In the past, the USA’s southern neighbour mostly attracted foreign investors with low production costs which basically resulted from cheap labour. Among the members of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), a club of advanced economies, Mexico has the lowest minimum wage. It is a mere 88.36 pesos per […]

The jobs AI is creating

The jobs AI is creating

An influx of artificial intelligence is helping address this deficiency – but don’t think robots behind the counter stealing jobs (although ANZ’s own Jamie is pretty cool , even if we do say ourselves). Think simpler – it’s likely, particularly in financial services, AI use will appear largely in the form of things like digital assistants , tools to manage personal finances and automated decisions and offers.

"Jobs will be created which do not exist today as work moves up the value chain.”

Indeed, what goes unreported is the kind of skills workplaces will need when the changes wrought […]