The human omission

It’s hard to conceive of a more fundamental topic than the future of work. Economists have grappled with it for centuries. Now slow growth, rising inequality and rapid technological change have raised a new, urgent question. Will robots free us from boring labour, or will they leave many workers permanently redundant?

Ryan Avent’s “The Wealth of Humans” manages to be both optimistic about innovation and gloomy about its consequences. This wide-ranging and highly readable book echoes famous tracts by tackling the biggest challenges facing the human race. The title is a nod to Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations” – […]

Disappearing factory jobs driving Iowa voter angst

Disappearing factory jobs driving Iowa voter angst

Small business owners and former employees say they continue to struggle to get by after hundreds of manufacturing jobs left Mason City, but city officials insist the jobs are there. Buy Photo MASON CITY, Ia. — It used to be hard to find a seat at the Kozy Korner.

In the 1970s and ’80s, the bar opened its doors at 6 a.m. to serve overnight workers as they finished their shifts in factories on the city’s north end. On Thursdays and Fridays, the Kozy kept piles of money on hand to cash workers’ paychecks. People lined up to play pool, […]

Basic Income Might Be The Answer To Society’s Productivity Crisis

Basic Income Might Be The Answer To Society's Productivity Crisis

With the decline of manufacturing jobs, and the onset of automation to take over almost all kinds of work, society is on the hunt for a long-term, scalable solution to our future productivity.

What will happen to displaced workers? How will mass unemployment hurt our increasingly globalized economy?

One concept, a universal basic income, has been debated by thinkers as far back as the 16th century . The theory suggests that a flat income, given to every citizen regardless of employment or societal status, will allow society to pursue the work it really believes in. Can a monthly universal stipend help […]

How computer automation affects occupations: Technology, jobs, and skills

How computer automation affects occupations: Technology, jobs, and skills

A popular notion is that computer automation leads to major job losses. However, this ignores the dynamic economic responses that involve both changing demand and inter-occupation substitution. Using US data, this column explores the effect of automation on employment growth for detailed occupational categories. Computer-using occupations have had greater job growth to date, while those using few computers suffer greater computer-related losses. The real challenge posed by automation is developing a workforce with the skills to use new technologies.

Automation has become a concern not just for blue-collar manufacturing workers, but also for white-collar workers and even professionals. New computer […]

Robots versus immigrants: which group would “steal” the most British jobs?

Robots versus immigrants: which group would “steal” the most British jobs?

Angry robots surrounded by EU stars By 2035, you’ll be lucky to have a job. According to the Bank of England’s chief economist , nearly half of all British workers will be replaced in the next two decades. But by who?

If you base all of your worldly judgements on the rants of your drunk uncle Nigel and the fact you can now get pierogi in Tesco, then the answer is easy: immigrants.

If you pay closer attention to global trends (and the self-checkout machine you use to buy your pierogi in Tesco), then the answer is very different: robots.As far […]

Automation will end the dream of rapid economic growth for poorer countries

Automation will end the dream of rapid economic growth for poorer countries

Humanoid robots working side by side with employees on an assembly line at a factory. Photograph: Issei Kato/REUTERS For a long time – at least since the economic emergence of South Korea in the 1960s – many low-income countries have been able to achieve rapid economic growth through industrialisation.

The process usually starts with low-end manufacturing (apparel, footwear, plastics) and entails large numbers of workers moving from low productivity smallholder agriculture to high productivity export manufacturing.

Industrialisation has helped to drive an unprecedented convergence between rich and poor country wealth levels. By the early 2000s, 83 developing countries were achieving growth […]

Will IoT and robotics mean less work for farmers?

Will IoT and robotics mean less work for farmers?

Decline in unskilled workers may be offset by technology-centric roles.

Will the Internet of Things and robotics lead to a reduction in agriculture jobs in the future? According to a panel of industry experts, the goal of these emerging technologies is not to replace a human workforce, but to augment it.

The experts shared their thoughts at the recent IoT and AgTech Summit in Sydney, co-hosted by KPMG and the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC).“Our aim with technologies such as robotics is not to replace the farmers themselves, but to make them more productive, give them decision support tools for […]

Raymond to lay off 10,000 people to give way to automation; shares rise

Raymond to lay off 10,000 people to give way to automation; shares rise

People passing by the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in this file photo of May 9, 2016 (representational image). Raymond, India’s branded textile company, on Friday said it plans to cut about 10,000 jobs over the next three years. The jobs will then be replaced with robots and automation technology.

The Mumbai-headquartered firm said that the company has a workforce of 30,000 staff across 16 manufacturing plants in India.

"Roughly 2,000 work in each plant. Through technological intervention we are looking to scale down the number of jobs to 20,000 through multiple initiatives in technology. One robot could replace around 100 […]

10,000 Jobs Will Be Replaced By Raymond With Robots In Next 3 Years

10,000 Jobs Will Be Replaced By Raymond With Robots In Next 3 Years

This is an excellent example to illustrate how Automation has jobs in an industry. Raymond has announced that 10,000 jobs in the company will be replaced by robots.

Raymond CEO Sanjay Behl, describing the move, pointed out that the company employs over 30,000 staff in their 16 manufacturing plants in the country. He further added, “Roughly 2,000 work in each plant. Through technological intervention, we are looking to scale down the number of jobs to 20,000, through multiple initiatives in technology. One robot could replace around 100 workers. While it is happening in China at present, it will also happen […]

Raymond to replace 10,000 jobs with robots in next 3 years

Raymond to replace 10,000 jobs with robots in next 3 years

Behl said that a closely monitored team is working on this technology implementation models. CHENNAI: Automation has claimed its first casualty in India. Textile major Raymond is planning to cut about 10,000 jobs in its manufacturing centres in the next three years, replacing them with robots and technology.

Explaining the move, Raymond CEO Sanjay Behl said the company employs over 30,000 staff in their 16 manufacturing plants in the country.

"Roughly 2,000 work in each plant. Through technological intervention we are looking to scale down the number of jobs to 20,000, through multiple initiatives in technology. One robot could replace around […]