We are always afraid of change when we are not sure about the outcome. Some people resist automation because they think that jobs will be eliminated and unemployment will rise. Working in the robotics industry, I believe this is a common misconception.
When I embarked on my role in this industry, my main concern was centered around whether I would be helping to create jobs, or whether I would be adding to unemployment statistics. I've taken a hard look at this question and ultimately decided that robotics automation will not increase unemployment. Here's my thought process.
Initially, the research suggests that, in fact, automation could contribute to unemployment. That's sobering. However, I believe the anecdotal evidence could paint a different picture, and that the jobs that will remain will be much more appealing — and less dangerous — for humans.
I remember a time when you could pick up any telephone and dial zero, and someone would respond and say, "Operator." We had local operators and international ones, and we also had people supervising them. When the position of operator was eliminated due to automation, people thought there would be no more jobs in the telecom industry for humans. But according to the BLS, the telecommunications industry still employed over 740,000 people in 2017. This is a great example of automation changing the nature of jobs humans perform.
I believe robotics and automation will have a similar effect on our society. We will need people to design, build and test robots, and to maintain them and assign them programs and tasks. There will be robot sales positions, robot showrooms, robot mechanic shops and robot recycling plants. I believe all this automation will bring about a paradigm shift in the nature of the jobs that humans do. We will not be lifting heavy objects or conducting repetitive, labor-intensive tasks. We will not be exposed to dangerous environments and micro-particles and gasses at work — all those jobs will be done by autonomous robots. Many industries, such as food and horticulture, will be able to survive and thrive because automation will reduce the cost of growing food and increase output.
All this will free up our future generations to be better educated and perform jobs that we cannot fathom in our wildest imaginations. Fifty years ago, the job of "creating security patches to prevent cyberattacks" was something that nobody understood. Future generations will see a similar shift in the nature of jobs. I believe anyone who wishes to work and educate themselves will have a job, regardless of the amount of automation we implement.
As industries change and automation inevitably continues, we should educate the workforce to adapt to be able to fill new jobs that will be created. Robotics and automation companies should take the responsibility to educate the public and create opportunities that build the skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow. Robotic companies should start collaborating with universities and technology institutes to analyze job postings in tech-driven industries and create curricula that prepare students accordingly. Furthermore, all educational institutes should become more involved in R&D in automation, and help integrate their R&D departments into organizations that can help them commercialize those ideas and create jobs.
In the tech industry, we are all fighting to find and hire talent at an affordable rate. We should all take a proactive approach to developing the talent we need, and we should lobby and engage all stakeholders to help us facilitate it.
