The world is changing every day, and the advancement of automation technology is at the forefront of that change. There are plenty of people that are worried about how this will impact the workforce, and, specifically, how we will survive if technology replaces our need for workers.
Robots are already being tested in the real world, from self-driving cars to drones to actual robots that can perform tasks. While these experiments with automation technology are still in their infancy, there is already potential for them to take over repetitive tasks that are currently done by humans. Warehouses and fulfillment centers are one of the job categories that are particularly wary of how this technology will impact jobs.
Digitalization of repetitive tasks, however, isn’t a complete doom-and-gloom situation. In fact, as our digital revolution chugs along and our productivity grows we actually need more labor.
Here are three arguments that show how automation can create jobs. The future is still, everyone.
Argument #1: As the demand for technology rises, we’ll need people to design, manage, maintain, and evolve the systems that are in use.
Automation technology might be able to complete tasks without much fuss, but there still need to be people in the background that develop the technology. Not only that, but any technology needs people working on keeping it up to date, keeping it safe, and advancing it.
We are still a long way off from technology taking off in a way that eliminates mass amounts of jobs. We still need to continue to build the infrastructures and develop the networks that will be used for the new technology that we create.
In the future, when we are using robots onsite in businesses and in retail, there will still be a need for people to perform general maintenance tasks on those machines. It will be a while before we truly, completely trust robots and automation technology, so it is likely that there will always be jobs available for people wherever there are machines.
Argument #2: Automation technology is not being designed to replace people; instead, it is actually being designed with people in mind.
It’s easy to say that we just want robots and machines to replace people, but that isn’t really we intend to use it for. The use of automation technology to handle mundane, repetitive tasks means that people are free to do more one-on-one experiences with customers. If an employee isn’t needed to clean floors or stock shelves, that employee can instead by helping at the cash register or giving a shopper personalized recommendations. At hotels, staff can spend more time enhancing a traveler’s experience and spending time listening to what they need.
Argument #3: The more automation technology is used, the more jobs it creates.
Automation technology can also give us access to content, but we still need people to create and manage that content – whether it is just a database or a personal curation. When social media was created, it brought with it a new slate of jobs in a completely new industry. That is where automation technology can leads us; there is a path to the creation of jobs that don’t even exist now.
So, sure, the job market might change; it might look different. But there are still jobs, and there will continue to be jobs, even as automation technology integrates more and more into our business, commercial, and personal lives.