Automation is when a machine does the work that human beings once did. The benefits to employers is obvious. Machines are able to achieve consistent results, work non-stop, and require little, if any, human supervision. Fortune Magazine estimates that by the year 2030, roughly, 20 million manufacturing jobs currently done by human beings will be replaced by robots. However, it is not just the manufacturing industry that will see huge changes.
Not All Tasks Can Be Automated
By now, most people have heard the word algorithm and it has become synonymous with technology. An algorithm can be described as a set of rules programed into a machine to be followed. This why jobs that require mostly routine tasks are the most at risk. If your job consists of you mainly doing the same set of routine tasks then this may affect you.
Who Exactly Is At Work
According to CNBC and a study conducted by Brookings, automation will potentially disrupt about 25% of all jobs in the US. Automation will affect men more than women. African-Americans and Hispanics are at high-risk of losing their jobs to automation because 44-77% of their current jobs can currently be automated. The highest careers fields at risk are:
Food preparation and service 81%
Production operations 79%
Office and administrative support 60%
Farming/fishing and forestry 56%
Transportation and material moving 55%
Construction and extraction 50%
Source: CNBC
Barriers To Entry
Currently, the biggest barrier to entry for automation is price. New technology typically comes with a high price tag that smaller companies cannot afford. Secondly, there is public reception. Even if Uber had the technology today to unleash a fleet of automated vehicles that is not something that the general public may be receptive to yet.
What To Do About It
According to Forbes, MIT Sloan Professor Paul Osterman suggests reeducation. Workers, especially those in high-risk fields, should go to school and be educated in growing fields. We should embrace technology because it is here to stay. If this issue is important to you, make it important to your local government and there may be bills passed that subsidize efforts to reeducate our country.