Tag: Services

Embracing an Automation Economy

Embracing an Automation Economy

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, automation has been a steadily growing trend for the manufacturing and process industries, to the joy of some and the dismay of others. On the one hand, automation is synonymous with lower production costs and higher quality, providing more consistent output with less physical labor. On the other hand, from time to time there is concern about job loss as machines replace unskilled labor, and put people out of work. As far back as 1779, so the story goes, a young weaver’s apprentice named Ned Ludd vandalized a couple of knitting machines, […]

Millennials aren’t robot-proof

Millennials aren’t robot-proof

(Washington Post illustration; iStock) About half of millennials looking for work are interested in jobs that carry a risk of automation,a new study suggests. The findings indicate the youngest and most educated generation in the American work force isn’t necessarily more robot-proof than older workers, who tend to be portrayed as the primary victims of automation.

“Millennials show a considerable amount of interest in occupations that face a threat of automation,” said Daniel Culbertson, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab , the research institute attached to the international job site, and the author of the report.

“That gets lost when […]

Half of millennials are seeking jobs vulnerable to robot takeover, study suggests

Half of millennials are seeking jobs vulnerable to robot takeover, study suggests

About half of millennials looking for work are interested in jobs that carry a risk of automation, a new study suggests.

The findings indicate the youngest and most educated generation in the American workforce isn’t necessarily more robot-proof than older workers, who tend to be portrayed as the primary victims of automation.

“Millennials show a considerable amount of interest in occupations that face a threat of automation,” said Daniel Culbertson, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, the research institute attached to the international job site, and the author of the report.“That gets lost when people talk about millennials being so […]

Feeling The Effects Of Robotics On Jobs Growth

Summary

Was last month’s poor BLS employment situation the beginning of the impacts of robotics?

The high rate of jobs growth seen since the Great Recession was likely only a result of recovery, and not much real new growth.Employment growth has been higher than population growth, and this cannot continue.In August of 2012, I penned a post on labor costs stating " labor costs are no longer a primary factor in determining where business should locate. "This quote was framed within a general discussion of factors used in selecting business / manufacturing criteria for determining where to locate. In hindsight, […]

Can basic income help workers adapt to new world of AI?

Can basic income help workers adapt to new world of AI?

Customers use the digital screen to place an order at a McDonald’s restaurant as the companies stock price reached record territory on April 25, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) As a self-confessed health-food eater, I rarely enter fast-food joints, but nostalgia and the feeling that it’s an obligatory childhood experience saw me bring my daughter to a McDonalds. While the novelty of receiving a toy with your food quickly won her over, what struck me most was the automation.

McDonald’s has always been known for its efficiency, but for many teenagers and young adults, it also functioned as […]

Wiping Out Jobs Growth With Robotics

Wiping Out Jobs Growth With Robotics

In August of 2012, I penned a post on labor costs stating " labor costs are no longer a primary factor in determining where business should locate. "

This quote was framed within a general discussion of factors used in selecting business / manufacturing criteria for determining where to locate. In hindsight, a more precise statement would have been " automation / robotics are eliminating labor costs as the primary factor in determining where a business should locate ".

In that post, I stated that robotic operating systems cost initially $250,000 per year, and concluded: In a 24 hour / seven […]

Wiping Out Jobs Growth With Robotics

Wiping Out Jobs Growth With Robotics

Shutterstock photo In August of 2012, I penned a post on labor costs stating " labor costs are no longer a primary factor in determining where business should locate. "

This quote was framed within a general discussion of factors used in selecting business / manufacturing criteria for determining where to locate. In hindsight, a more precise statement would have been " automation / robotics are eliminating labor costs as the primary factor in determining where a business should locate ".

In that post, I stated that robotic operating systems cost initially $250,000 per year, and concluded: In a 24 hour […]

Automation Could Replace Over 99% of U.S. Jobs Sooner Than You Think

Automation Could Replace Over 99% of U.S. Jobs Sooner Than You Think

Robots Do It Better and Automation Could Eliminate 99% of U.S. Jobs

Until recently, many have feared job losses resulting from an influx of immigrants. That argument says that migrants would be willing to work for less money. Yet, apart from economic studies to the contrary, Americans should worry more about robots taking jobs. Yes, the biggest threat to U.S. jobs comes from automation.

Automation is coming faster than anybody could have predicted. Indeed, nobody could have expected the wave of robots taking over jobs. Consider that robots, or automation, has eliminated just one job in the past 60 […]

Will a universal basic income make the U.S. better?

Will a universal basic income make the U.S. better?

To better understand the future of our economy and work, especially in the wake of globalization and automation, there is a growing body of literature worth paying attention to.

One recent book that deserves attention is “Raising the Floor: How a Universal Basic Income Can Renew our Economy and Rebuild the American Dream” by Andy Stern. As the former president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Stern grew SEIU by 1.2 million members to make it one of the fastest growing unions in the world – an anomaly in an increasingly non-unionized economy.

Drawing on these experiences as well as […]

Does Automation Kill Jobs? Nope—But Offshoring Does

Does Automation Kill Jobs? Nope—But Offshoring Does

Baxter automated assembly line robot Automation Isn’t The Job Killer It’s Cracked Up To Be

CNN says automation is to blame for America’s manufacturing job losses; and what’s worse, there’s more to come —and no, it has absolutely nothing to do with bad trade deals like NAFTA, nor China’s predatory trading strategy.

Nope. Nothing to see here people. Move along.Automation is bad, and your jobs are never coming back. This view was echoed recently by the Guardian too.Of course, this is all just fake news—CNN has to earn its reputation somehow.In reality, automation is only half the story : […]