Machines have created many jobs at the same time wiped out a number of them. Routine related workforce form part of jobs threatened by technology. Computers have made work easier since they are able to multitask and yet come up with the best end result which is a plus in the market sector.
A study was done by Economists at Deloitte on employment since 1871 and they also analyzed labor data from 1992. Researchers Ian Stewart, Debapratim De and Alex Cole found that jobs that require a routine have declined the most because they can be easily substituted by technology.
These are some of the jobs threatened by technology:
- Footwear and leather working jobs, which have declined 82% since 1992.
- Weavers and knitters (-79%)
- Metal making and treating process operators (-70%)
- Typists and related keyboard occupations (-57%)
- Secretaries (-52%)
- Energy plant workers (-51%)
- Farm workers (-50%)
- Metal machine setters and setter-operators (-44%)
Non-routine jobs on the other hand have skyrocketed and many people have been employed in such sectors.
“Technology is highly complementary to cognitive, non-routine tasks…[and] there is little opportunity to apply technology in non-routine manual tasks, such as those done by care home workers.”
The independent study found that the number of nursing jobs raised to 909% since 1992. Teaching jobs also increased to 580%.
These are some of the industries that have benefited:
- Management consultants and business analysts (+365%)
- I.T. managers (+195%)
- Welfare, housing, youth and community workers (+183%)
- Care workers and home carers (+168%)
- Actors, dancers, entertainment hosts, producers and directors (+156%)
- Financial managers (+132%)
The researchers were unable to predict future jobs but they insisted that they will require more social interaction, empathy and creativity.
“Machines will take on more repetitive and laborious tasks, but seem no closer to eliminating the need for human labor than at any time in the [past],” they concluded. “We believe that jobs will continue to be created, enhanced and destroyed much as they have in the last 150 years.”
Internet controlled devices will one day take over the world as most jobs will be done by machines and humans will have to do nothing but think and sleep. Google published a patent describing how home owners will be able to talk to their Internet connected toys to ask them to control most of the home appliances like changing TV channels, washing utensils and cooking.
“There is, as yet, essentially no visible relationship between the use of robots and the change in manufacturing employment,” the Brookings researchers wrote. Reports CNN.
Amy Webb, a digital media futurist, recently predicted at least eight careers likely to be faced off in the next 10 to 20 years. She called out factory workers and phone operators, but also journalists, lawyers, and financial middle men in the banking, escrow, insurance and mortgage sectors to be on the lookout.
