Will Technology Take Your Job?

Technology of all shapes and shades driven by smart software is replacing jobs in the economy. Computers, robots and specialised machines can do many of the things traditionally done by humans, as they spread into all areas of work and life. But what does it mean for jobs?

Economists

Economists and other commentators expect the trend to continue, as unemployment caused by the advance of technology sweeps through society in the name of profit and progress.

Machines in the home, robots in the factory, and software in the office are all developing at a pace that is displacing rather than replacing jobs.

Traditional economic doctrine relied on technology to create more jobs than it destroyed but in future years the trend is expected to reverse as automation grows and employment shrinks.

There was a tacit understanding and widespread acceptance that technology and computers would provide freedom from mundane tasks and allow greater choice in how we spend our time.

But the ability of technology to replace people in the workplace has no limits, as software develops in sophisticated and sinister ways to negate the need for people.

Even with jobs that appear safe software infused with intelligence and the ability to learn and keep learning is fine-tuned to break tasks into stand-alone units of activity that can be automated.

Jobs

The number of jobs lost to machines increases over time as change takes place gradually before culminating in the need for fewer people and the creation of less opportunity.

The changes that have taken place represent only the beginning of the shift to automation, as technology moves from mastering simple to more complex tasks.

The issue of course is what to do about such change and what to do about a world where increasing numbers of jobs are lost to the destructive effects of technology.

There will, of course, be jobs and lots of them.

But they will require specialist skills such as those carried out by artists and analysts, entrepreneurs and educators, designers and doctors, lawyers and leaders, and teachers and techies.

The jobs that survive will involve raw creativity, common sense, emotional intelligence, good judgment, personal interaction and the ability to make choices in uncertain and, at times, chaotic environments.

Some commentators believe the traditional economic model will survive and that technology will create more jobs than it destroys; they also believe that the jobs created will be more rewarding as has been the case for previous generations.

Regardless of your position, however, there is little doubt that there will be jobs and plenty of them for people with the skills to stay one step ahead and complement and add value to the work of machines.

SO, technology is coming to take your job unless you have the skills needed to stay one step ahead.