Will Robots Reduce Human Employment?
Technology is disrupting the economy at many levels, and many worry about losing their jobs to automation. The truth is that this isn’t anything new—we’ve been through this already with the Industrial Revolution.
Back then, employees also thought there would be no room for humans at work. Machines were taking over, and their jobs were less valuable every day. But humans are still part of the equation; machines didn’t replace us—we use them to make our jobs more productive.
Today, we can expect a significant change in the way we handle our work, and we’ll probably have to learn new skills to future-proof our lives. The only difference between the previous industrial revolutions and today’s robotics revolution is the speed at which it is taking place.
According to a recent Oxford study, there will be 14 million robots in China’s workforce within the next 11 years. Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and robotics are accelerating the pace of automation in the workspace. However, there will always be jobs for humans. Now, let’s explore whether robots will reduce human employment or not.
Vulnerable Jobs
In the future, jobs based on physical effort and repetition might no longer have to be performed by humans. This type of automation is already happening; we now have self-cashiers, more robots in manufacturing companies and self-driving cars. Some experts say drivers might disappear as well.
People used to think that robots would be humanized versions of machines. Although this is already happening, robots in the work field are not like we envisioned them. One of the most common versions of robots in the manufacturing industry is cobots. These are robots that work with little human intervention.
However, we already have more sophisticated robots that work with almost no human intervention, such as the Samsung Bot Retail. This robot helps clients have a better shopping experience by showing them the products in the store.
We can see that robots are already taking over the role of vendors in stores, and they’ll probably replace many other professionals in the manufacturing and logistics industries.
Professions That Will Thrive
The professions that will continue to be valuable in the future are those that require analytical thinking, or those that are in the tech field. Robots cannot reason or empathize, so professions like teachers, nurses or lawyers are safe.
However, most of the workforce will be in the tech industry. Robots will eventually reduce human employment, but the robotics industry will also generate jobs.
According to a recent report, between 2017 and 2037, robots will replace around 7 million people at work. However, thanks to cost reductions due to the use of robots and Artificial Intelligence, companies will be able to hire more personnel. Therefore, according to the same report, robots will also generate 7.2 million jobs.
What To Do
The best thing you can do to adapt to the future of work is to learn new skills that will be in demand in the future. If you’re not a techie and you don’t like the idea of learning how to code, there are also tech jobs that don’t require programming skills, such as data analysis, digital marketing and product management.
However, if you would like to learn a new tech skill and you’re not afraid of coding, you can start by learning the most in-demand coding languages: Python, CSS and JavaScript.
Don’t Forget Soft Skills
Robots will surely take over in the future, but it doesn’t mean you need to become one. Think about your soft skills as one of the most important abilities you have. There will be two main soft skills that will help you in the future of work: creativity and flexibility.
With the constant change and rapid technological disruption, you need to stay ahead and keep your skillset up-to-date with the latest tech trends. And don’t be worried about the future of work. Although robots will replace humans in some jobs, they’ll also generate more jobs in most industries.