Concerns About Automation: Can Billions Of People Become Unemployed?
As a result of automation, new types of production systems will be created in the factories with the help of automated machines and equipments instead of people, there is concern in the minds of many.
The loss of billions of jobs as a result of automation is becoming a major issue in popular media and in various debates. There is a lot of news and reports about robots entering the human workplace, especially in developed countries.
As a result, there is a lot of discussion going on about what will happen to the billions of unemployed people who will be laid off as a result of using robots in different industries in the future.
According to a recent research report, this type of news and reporting information comes from three main sources. Sources or studies that have pointed out the massive joblessness of people as a result of automation. These are:
1. A 2013 study conducted by Oxford University. That said, over the next few decades, 48% of jobs in the United States are at risk of extinction as a result of automation.
2. A study by the OECD. As seen, 9% of the work of the 21 member countries of their organization can be done through automation.
3. A report by McKinsey, an international management consulting firm. To ensure that by 2030, 40 to 80 crore jobs worldwide could be covered by automation.
Although little evidence has been found about exactly how many people will lose their jobs because of robots, such research reports have led many to speculate that robots may take over most of people’s jobs in the next 50 years. As a result, there is a growing concern among the general public that it will be difficult for them to find employment in the future and that socio-economic inequality will increase.
A recent study by the IMF surveyed 11,000 workers in 11 advanced and emerging market economies. It shows that they are aware of various technologies that will change the future of work. And surprisingly, most of the workers there are more positive about automation than negative.
However, factors such as age, education and the amount of income influence what kind of attitude these workers are developing. Also, how much automation has already taken place in the industrial sector of a country has also acted as a major influencer.
For example, a person with a college degree has a more positive attitude towards the impact of automation on his / her job than a person with only a diploma from a high school. Thus the idea of ​​automation also changes on the amount of income.
In the same way, those who are satisfied with their work are more likely to have a positive perception of automation. In contrast, older people and workers who have experienced workplace instability in the past develop a negative attitude towards automation.
In countries where automation of industrialization has already taken place, workers in those countries also have a negative perception of it. For example, in countries where the use of robot technology has increased significantly between 2000 and 2016, workers in those countries have a relatively negative view of the impact of automation in the workplace.
However, in countries with emerging markets and high levels of worker protection, workers are more likely to be positive.
Workers who view automation positively are also prepared to re-learn and train at their own expense to meet the challenges of emerging automation. At the same time, they hope that at the state level, they will be assisted in this transformation through greater social security and initiatives.
This IMF report proves that negative attitudes towards automation and artificial intelligence are more prevalent among older and poorer workers. Similarly, those who have recently suffered from instability in the workplace and in countries where the use of robots has increased significantly, have a more negative attitude. At the same time those who are satisfied with working in their current position and those who have higher education are optimistic about automation.
Most of the respondents to the IMF survey are ready to adapt to a changing future. And considers the government partly responsible for helping them move forward in this process.
At the same time, they expect employers to play an important role. However, only workers in developed countries have such optimism. Lack of time and financial resources is one of the major obstacles that workers face in their training. If these two shortcomings are met, the majority of workers will decide to retrain to prepare themselves for the future.
Finally, additional funding may be needed to finance large-scale training programs or to create new types of social enterprises.
Since the demand for government protection and new types of social initiatives is much higher among women and workers who are already struggling in the job market, policy makers can consider them within the budget. At the same time, new programs can be undertaken with the disadvantaged in mind to mitigate the effects of technological change.
