Tag: consumer

Automation is Destroying the Jobs of Garment Workers

Automation is Destroying the Jobs of Garment Workers

Automation is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it is making more garments faster and more precisely. It is even making it possible to one day have personal, single garments made to order by placing an online request with individual measurements. On the other hand, it is putting millions of garment workers out of jobs and livelihoods.

Automation of garment production has a long history, going back to steam-powered weaving mills in the early nineteenth century, pioneered by a Frenchman named Jacquard. The newest machines can make garments from start to finish, including delicate, complex work such as sewing […]

RUSSOMANNO: Autonomous autos mean safer streets, stronger economy

RUSSOMANNO: Autonomous autos mean safer streets, stronger economy

The automotive sector continues to drive Indiana’s economy. Our auto industry ranks second among states in share of output and employment, putting more than 100,000 Hoosiers to work, and third in both total car and truck production and number of automotive companies. Beyond carmakers and their suppliers, these businesses include major manufacturers of powertrain components for heavy trucks, which carry billions of tons of freight across Indiana annually.

The future of the auto industry intersects with Indiana’s future. With vehicle automation a transformative trend in transportation, it’s important that Indiana be a crossroads of research and development. Automated features like […]

Roughly 40 percent of Thurston County workers could be replaced by robots, analysis shows | The News Tribune

Roughly 40 percent of Thurston County workers could be replaced by robots, analysis shows | The News Tribune

Stories of cashier-less grocery stores, self-driving cars and programmable lawyers have flooded the news in the past six months, kicking off a renewed debate about whether robots might soon dominate the global economy.

But how will the rise of robots in the workplace affect Thurston County?

Roughly 40 percent of workers in Thurston County have jobs a University of Oxford study has rated as having a high probability of becoming automated in the future, including jobs as retail sales clerks, food workers, cashiers, and office clerks.The study’s authors — Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne — rated 702 jobs on […]

Half of Pierce County jobs could be replaced by robots | The News Tribune

Half of Pierce County jobs could be replaced by robots | The News Tribune

Stories of cashier-less grocery stores, self-driving cars and programmable lawyers have flooded the news in the past six months, kicking off a renewed debate over whether robots might soon dominate the global economy.

But how will the impending takeover of robots in the workplace affect Pierce County?

Roughly half of workers in Pierce County have jobs a University of Oxford study rated as having a high probability of becoming automated in the future, including positions in retail, food prep, truck driving, and the labor industry.The study’s authors — Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne — rated 702 jobs on the […]

The End Of Work?

The End Of Work?

Inequality seems set to intensify between the minority who own the capital … and the many

Photo Credit : ShutterStock, Attendance this year at the Jaipur Literary Festival, the world’s largest book mela, crossed half a million. While the crowds surged to listen to 300 speakers including Shashi Tharoor, Anthony Horowitz, Amy Chan and Helen Fielding, my panel debated the more practical question of the future of work. What will be the impact of digitalisation and automation on employment, society and politics?

Globalisation, especially the rise of China, has been the most profound development of the past thirty years. Digitalisation, […]

Your job cannot be automated? Then you need to worry!

Copyright, TheHill.com

One of the greatest labor force changes of the 20th century was the movement of workers out of farming. In 1900, more than two out of five workers were in agriculture. Now it is less than two workers out of every 100.

It’s not that people stopped eating. Rather, farm machinery and innovation increased the amount of food that could be produced per farm worker by more than a factor of 10 . Food got cheaper and that got people to buy more food, but not 10 times as much. The end result has been fewer jobs in […]

Fears over jobs lost to automation may well be misplaced

© Getty Images One of the greatest labor force changes of the 20th century was the movement of workers out of farming. In 1900, more than two out of five workers were in agriculture. Now it is less than two workers out of every 100.

It’s not that people stopped eating. Rather, farm machinery and innovation increased the amount of food that could be produced per farm worker by more than a factor of 10 . Food got cheaper and that got people to buy more food, but not 10 times as much. The end result has been fewer jobs […]

Gig economy: An empowering trend here to stay or a stumbling block that compromises on labour welfare?

Gig economy: An empowering trend here to stay or a stumbling block that compromises on labour welfare?

We look into the good, bad and ugly of the gig economy, a fast catching trend that promises to revolutionise the Indian economy in the coming decades. Imagine the nature of a job that is flexible, convenient and lets you choose exactly what you want to do from the choicest of options. As utopian as it sounds, jobs as these are a commonplace reality in India, a booming economy that is slowly shifting towards a gig-based economy (also referred to as peer-to-peer economy or shared economy or collaborative economy), a fast catching trend that involves outsourcing of work, project-based […]

The changing face of retail and retail employment

The changing face of retail and retail employment

Over the last five to 10 years we’ve all witnessed the changing face of the retail store. The early signs were evident, with Apple’s flagship stores launching as places to worship tech, the rise of experiential stores – where we’re just as likely to pop into one for a coffee or a ‘brand experience’ – and more recently the growth of demo and click-and-collect stores.

What these stores all have in common is that they are more focused on experience and brand engagement, and less on the actual transaction.

So why is the retail experience changing? If I can transact so […]

CPGs Make Data Inroads; Agency Jobs In Decline?

CPGs Make Data Inroads; Agency Jobs In Decline?

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here .

CPGs Make Data Inroads

CPG brands like P&G and Clorox are starting to crack the code on digital spending, according to a report from L2. CPGs are getting smarter about using data-rich channels like search, where they can capture intent. By bidding on cheaper top-funnel queries and letting retailers like Target and Walmart fight over the more expensive brand names, CPGs are decreasing the bid costs while increasing visibility. Programmatic is still key, but these brands are moving away from the long tail and buying […]