Tag: Services

The robots are not coming for your job. With a few exceptions

The robots are not coming for your job. With a few exceptions

Shoppers leave the Amazon Go store after checking out on January, 22 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) There are serious flaws in the theory that the ‘jobpocalypse’ is nigh, and technology is not about to replace New Zealand workers anytime soon, according to a new book.

‘Machines as ministers to man’, screams the US newspaper headline.

Apart from the slightly old-fashioned language, the banner could be describing the conventional modern wisdom that an army of new technologies is amassing on the fringes of the workplace ready to revolutionise human employment as we know it.It is in […]

Robots stealing our jobs? Don’t panic, author says

Robots stealing our jobs? Don't panic, author says

A human tendency to revel in grim, dystopian future-gazing, and give too much credence to self-interested Silicon Valley "futurists", has led to fears that robots and artificial intelligence systems are about to take half of all human jobs.

But Kiwi World Bank economist and author Kinley Salmon gives human workers at least 25 years breathing space before any "labour-light" future threatens.

And he scorns the more extreme job-loss predictions touted by some of the biggest names in New Zealand and world business, seeing no signs of the robot revolution coming through in official unemployment or productivity figures. SUPPLIEDWorld Bank economist and […]

Bangladesh to lose garment workers

Bangladesh to lose garment workers

Some 60 per cent of garment workers in Bangladesh are set to lose their jobs by 2030. MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP SOME 60 per cent of garment workers in Bangladesh will lose their jobs by 2030 and will be replaced by robots because of the automation installed by factory owners, a top Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (Basis) official said on Tuesday.

In the leather sector some 35 per cent will suffer the same, as will 20 per cent in the tourism sector, said Basis president Syed Almas Kabir.

“This is very alarming for Bangladesh. Around 1.4 million workers in […]

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 […]

Tax code should not make hiring robots more affordable than people

Tax code should not make hiring robots more affordable than people

1of9Toyota’s basketball robot Cue 3 demonstrates Monday, April 1, 2019 at a gymnasium in Fuchu, Tokyo. The 207-centimeter (six-foot-10) -tall machine made five of eight three-pointer shots in a demonstration in a Tokyo suburb Monday, a ratio its engineers say is worse than usual. Toyota Motor Corp.’s robot, called Cue 3, computes as a three-dimensional image where the basket is, using sensors on its torso, and adjusts motors inside its arm and knees to give the shot the right angle and propulsion for a swish.(AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)Photo: Yuri Kageyama, STF / Associated Press Walmart and Kroger are deploying robots […]

How robots became a scapegoat for the destruction of the working class

How robots became a scapegoat for the destruction of the working class

Should workers fear the robots ? You don’t have to look far to find lots of people shouting "yes."

Magazines and newspapers blare headlines like " Welcoming our new robot overlords ," " When your new co-worker is a robot ," and " You will lose your job to a robot — and sooner than you think ." Studies suggest anywhere from 9 percent to 47 percent of American jobs could be automated in the next few decades. In 2017, Bill Gates proposed a "robot tax" to address the problem. Andrew Yang, a long-shot contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, […]

Minister Thinks Singapore Needs to Stop Snubbing Seniors for Fintech Talent

Minister Thinks Singapore Needs to Stop Snubbing Seniors for Fintech Talent

Technology isn’t just changing the way businesses work, it is also impacting careers across all fields and disciplines. This is especially true for the financial sector, as financial services institutions are investing heavily in new technological capabilities to enhance competitive positioning and operating efficiencies.

While it may seem like a rat race when it comes to adopting new technologies, it is crucial to not neglect the humans who will ultimately be driving that change. An ageing workforce

In Singapore, the traditional “hire-and-fire strategy” – hiring people with the skills for emerging jobs and firing those in less relevant jobs […]

Robot redundancy: four future scenarios for Kiwis’ jobs

Robot redundancy: four future scenarios for Kiwis' jobs

We’ve long been hearing about the threat of "robot redundancy" – and just whose jobs are at risk of automation.

Fewer than 5 per cent of jobs can be done entirely through automation today – and researchers have thrown out wildly varying forecasts how this might soon change.

One headline-grabbing study from Oxford University, suggesting that 47 per cent of all employment in the US was at risk of being replaced by computers and algorithms in the next 20 years, appeared overblown when set against findings of a forensic OECD investigation.Of the 21 advanced nations that report looked at, only 9 […]

Pete Buttigieg Trivializes the Impact of Trade on US Job Losses

Pete Buttigieg Trivializes the Impact of Trade on US Job Losses

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks with attendees during a campaign stop at Stonyfield Farms in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on April 19, 2019. Scott Eisen / Getty Images In his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, Pete Buttigieg has been telling audiences that the U.S. lost six times as many jobs due to automation than trade from 2000 to 2010, according to The Washington Post . This is literally true, but for all practical purposes it is a very big lie.

The way in which it is true is that we always lose jobs to “automation,” which is known to […]