Tag: employment

Energy, employment and economic growth: Kemp

Energy, employment and economic growth: Kemp

LONDON (Reuters) – Policymakers in the advanced economies are increasingly worried by the economic, social and political disruption resulting from the decline of traditional manual jobs in manufacturing, mining and distribution. FILE PHOTO: Job seekers wait to speak with staff at a National Agency for Employment (Pole Emploi) office in Aubervilliers, near Paris, France, December 20, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Globalization, trade, migration, the rise of the internet, and the advent of artificial intelligence/robotization have all been blamed for the adverse impact on those who make a living from manual labor.

In reality, the loss of manual employment is the extension […]

Energy, employment and economic growth

Energy, employment and economic growth

Reuters (The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

LONDON, April 11 (Reuters) – Policymakers in the advanced economies are increasingly worried by the economic, social and political disruption resulting from the decline of traditional manual jobs in manufacturing, mining and distribution.

In reality, the loss of manual employment is the extension of a trend dating back more than 200 years that has gradually replaced physical jobs in agriculture, mining and manufacturing with service sector employment.Relatively rapid change in employment, energy consumption and industrial patterns has been both the stimulus to, and the consequence of, economic […]

Energy, employment and economic growth: Kemp

Energy, employment and economic growth: Kemp

LONDON (Reuters) – Policymakers in the advanced economies are increasingly worried by the economic, social and political disruption resulting from the decline of traditional manual jobs in manufacturing, mining and distribution. FILE PHOTO: Job seekers wait to speak with staff at a National Agency for Employment (Pole Emploi) office in Aubervilliers, near Paris, France, December 20, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Globalization, trade, migration, the rise of the internet, and the advent of artificial intelligence/robotization have all been blamed for the adverse impact on those who make a living from manual labor.

In reality, the loss of manual employment is the extension […]

AI and the future of work: Main changes to expect in the next years

AI and the future of work: Main changes to expect in the next years

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay, and many people are not happy. After all, it is hard to embrace something that could displace about 40 per cent of human jobs in the next 15 years. In an interview for CBS’s 60 minutes, Kai-Fu Lee (a Chinese AI expert) also mentioned truck drivers, chauffeurs, waiters, and chefs as some of the professions that will be disrupted.

That right there must have hit a nerve. However, everything is about to change because this article highlights some of the reasons you should not fear AI. And even if you were to ask […]

Opinion: PepsiCo’s massive, painful restructuring is actually a sign of strength

Opinion: PepsiCo’s massive, painful restructuring is actually a sign of strength

PepsiCo is being heavily criticized for its plans to spend $2.5 billion to restructure the company and pursue automation in certain procedures, resulting in a large, undisclosed number of layoffs among its 250,000-plus employees.

PepsiCo’s PEP, -0.11% layoffs would be better perceived if they were “justified” in some way — if the company were operating at a loss, for example, and needed to decrease its workforce to compensate. Not only is that the wrong way to look at businesses as they grow and evolve, but this mode of thinking perpetuates the false notion that layoffs and innovation are inherently bad.

That […]

We need a big bet on technology literacy and education to move America forward

We need a big bet on technology literacy and education to move America forward

Will technology take over our jobs, destabilize our society and democracy? Or can we leverage technology to amplify human purpose and potential?

Technology has created a strange new world. Cats playing piano can now get more attention than political leaders — perhaps deservedly. Artificial intelligence can now generate chillingly compelling “ fake news .” Police are having trouble pulling over Teslas whose drivers are sleeping .

But these effects are small compared with what I believe are the central questions of our time: Will all this accelerating technology — which will generate incredible productivity and wealth — also cause labor […]

How automation could affect employment for women and minorities

How automation could affect employment for women and minorities

As automation technologies advance— from natural language processing and machine learning to self-driving vehicles—the number of jobs, as well as their very nature, will be affected. In the United Kingdom, our research suggests that, with the right actions, women could benefit from the effects of advanced technologies on skills and jobs. In the United States, without concerted effort—including retraining—the impact of automation could heighten existing disparities for African American workers. The two stories that follow look at the magnitude of potential change and steps that could mitigate the downside. Automation and the future of women at work

Much has […]

As technology changes our lives, shouldn’t it change our taxes?

As technology changes our lives, shouldn’t it change our taxes?

Picture: iSTOCK Technology and the internet are changing our lives. Online shopping is displacing the high street. The gig economy is disrupting employment patterns and wages. Gaming and streaming are altering leisure habits.

However, economies are being affected by the transformations to our lifestyles resulting from smartphones, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality, autonomous cars, to the internet of things and 3D printing.

Online shopping and price-comparison websites give consumers better information and more choice of places from which to buy, making it harder for companies to raise prices. Central banks are thus questioning whether inflation targeting remains valid for setting interest […]

Can AI create more jobs than it destroys?

Can AI create more jobs than it destroys?

Amidst the buzz and excitement around Artificial Intelligence (AI), there is simultaneous discussion on the possible consequences of AI. One of them is concerns of job loss. A very real issue, the fear of losing a job to a robot is making the policy think tank NITI Aayog to emphasise on the importance creating new employment to absorb those rendered redundant by automation.

The idea is to create a framework that will allow us to not only enjoy the advantages of AI in areas such as health, farming, education, infrastructure and transportation but to also look at “skilling and reskilling […]

Will robots kill chemistry?

Will robots kill chemistry?

A robot holds a flask. ’m just barely a midcareer professional, and tumult is one word that I can use to describe the economic shifts within chemistry that I’ve witnessed. In my short time in the industry, I’ve seen countless layoffs, the effects of off-shoring, and the dramatic swings in the business cycle that the Great Recession brought chemistry. Many jobs in the chemical enterprise have shifted to China and India, and mergers and acquisitions of companies have led to the shutdown of long-standing giants in the world of industrial chemistry. So it’s no surprise that chemists often discuss […]