Rise and shine human beings! It’s time to ask the question will robots take our jobs? and hit the panic button.
Your employer can now replace you with a robot or software at work while you are sound asleep. Yes, that’s right; you can be replaced by a robot at work any day now! AI, software, machines and robots are taking over the global workforce faster than it takes you to get up to turn off that screeching alarm on the bedside cupboard.
(Check out this job automation calculator to see the jobs that will be replaced by technology.)
According to the research conducted by the World Economic Forum, more than 5.1 million jobs are expected to be lost over the period 2015-2020 (with a total loss of 7.1 million jobs and a total gain of 2 million jobs). Rapid advancements in technology, which has made the automation and computerization of jobs much easier, is seen as the major driving force behind these numbers.
The 4th Industrial Revolution and Job Automation
The 4th Industrial Revolution is happening now. It is marked by revolutionary innovations in many fields including genetics, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology etc.
It has led to massive transformations in consumption, production and most importantly, in the global workforce. As governments, corporations as well as individuals prepare themselves to face the onslaught of challenges due to job automation, a few trends can be expected over the next 2 decades;
- Decline in administrative and routine white-collar office jobs
- Growth in IT jobs, alternative energy jobs, biotechnology jobs, new kinds of office and administrative roles and entrepreneurs and freelancers
- Decline in manufacturing and production roles
- Changes in job quality, recruitment patterns and skill requirements
So, Will Robots Take Our Jobs?
The advancements in technology will render human labor obsolete in certain job families within the next 20 years. Will your job be automated? The possibility is high; but the silver lining is that there are skills that humans can develop that robots, software or AI can never steal or replace.
Most jobs will require these skills from their human employees, and working on developing them could be the most effective way to future-proof yourself and your kids. Check out the infographic to learn what the staggering numbers and the skills (that are exclusive to humans) are!
