Job automation is a double-edged sword, the type that comes about from time to time when producers discover technologies or manufacturing techniques that allow them to spend less on human resources by allowing machinery or programming to take the place of a human worker.
Now this might sound like science fiction to you, but we are living in the 21st century, and each day, new strides are being made that brings the workplace a few steps closer to full automation each day.
Perhaps the process of automation started with Henry Ford’s idea for factory lines, or perhaps it has only started to rear its head now with the implementation of algorithms that can do a job far better than most skilled humans; but whatever the cause, automation is here to change the face of the job market, so why not be prepared for it?
The following jobs have been predicted by professionals and analysts to be those that are most likely to succumb to automation in the years to come. So how will this affect you?
A Robot couldn’t do my Job. Yeah Right!
It’s not the 1940’s anymore, and like it or not, people are becoming redundant. Developments in artificial intelligence, computer automation and machinery have put a lot of jobs at risk over the years, while enhancing others.
But you might be thinking that there are certain careers which can only be conducted by humans such as art, literature and law; but the reality of the impending future is that no job is safe from automation which can conduct it at a fraction of the cost, far less of the time, and with fewer errors than would be conducted by a human; making the next generation of robot overlords far more attractive to business owners than school leavers.
Industries that will feel it the most
While not all industries will be hit hard by automation in the years to come, a great deal of them will. But here are some of those which will feel it the most:
- Wholesale and retail: 44% automation
- Manufactuuring: 46% Automation
- Transportation and Storage: 56% Automation
- Water and waste management: 61% Automation
- Arts and Entertainment: 22% Automation
- Real Estate: 28% Automation
What does this mean for your skill development plan
These are but a few in a long line of industries to be affected by automation, and although they are the worst of them, they are not the only ones. Just about every industry is predicted to increase automation by at least 15% in the years to come; in fact the impact is expected to be so great, that Bill Gates has even proposed that working AIs and Robots should indeed pay tax.
This means that you need to work even harder, and bump your skillset up a notch or two to ensure that you can keep up in a changing workplace. For funding that encourages education and positive youth development, contact the Tiso Foundation for details on having your future invested in by a caring party.