Technology and the Workforce
A
In the past several decades, there has been a proliferation of books and movies based on the idea of robots taking over the world. Arising out of the sudden phenomenon of the technology boom, storytellers predict a world where humans become largely superfluous because computers and robotic machines are able to perform the vast majority of what have historically been human tasks. While not many people took such predictions seriously even as late as the 1980s, there is no question today that this fictional vision of the future is closer than ever to becoming a reality.
And while many advantages are to be had from technological innovations, they do not come without a cost, particularly a cost to the majority of the world’s working class. The era of technology is seriously, and for the most part negatively, impacting the global employment sector. Employment rates are increasing in many countries, and in both countries with high and low levels of development, albeit for slightly different reasons.
B
Understanding how we got to this point requires looking at developments in recent human history. Scholars point to the Industrial Revolution as the precursor to the digital age, and the period that shifted the human trajectory. The Industrial Revolution, which took place between around 1760 and 1830, was the first wave of the technology era. It ushered in the replacement of hand production methods with machines, new metal and chemical production processes, the increasing use of steam power, and the use of coal instead of wood or other bio-fuels. Further down the line, these developments led to the Second Industrial Revolution between 1840 and 1870, characterised by the increasing use of steam-powered boats, ships and railways, steam-powered factories, and the large-scale production of machine tools.
At first, these innovations had a positive affect on average income and population, with unprecedented sustained growth in both areas. But by about the mid-1900s, mass production techniques were leaving many unskilled factory jobs obsolete, and negatively affecting employment rates in the industrial world. Metal work, clothing production, and even food production—both in terms of agriculture and food preparation—was increasingly being done by machines. In addition, the Industrial Revolution catalysed major demographic shifts that had huge implications for the world population. People found themselves moving from rural areas to urban ones in search of sustainable incomes in factories, production plants, and other businesses. And, as one can imagine, the exponential increases in urbanisation were not kind to those already in dire situations, with poor sanitation, diet, and living conditions being commonplace once in the cities. Coupled with low wages and poor working conditions at most factories, life in the city was far from ideal.
C
Then, in the 1970s, the advent of the personal computer marked the beginning of the Digital Age. Traditional industry introduced by the Industrial Revolution transitioned into a high-tech global economy based on information computerisation. Not only manufacturing, but services, communications, and knowledge sharing were made far more efficient and convenient than ever before. By and large, this has been a welcomed phenomenon. But again, innovation has displaced skilled jobs that arose as middle-class domain as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Typists, ticket agents, bank tellers, and production-line jobs have largely disappeared. Basic service jobs that employ a large portion of the less educated population are increasingly automated. Take for example checkout cashiers in grocery stores that are being replaced by self-service checkout machines.
There are benefits, of course, as employment in the digital age is less labour-intensive and more highly skilled. But employability in the modern age is very much contingent on technical skills, whether in terms of programming, server maintenance, web design, or a host of other computer-related skills. And this will only get worse. In the near future driver-less cars, robotic household cleaners, and mechanical chefs will become commonplace. A recent study suggests that 47 percent of today’s jobs could be automated in the next two decades. So, if this is the inevitable future, what will humans do in a digitalised world?
D
Most likely not much. Those in underdeveloped countries who don’t have access to technology through their education systems will have difficulty finding a place in the global economy. Already, labour output has shrunk globally from 64 to 59 percent in just three decades. What’s more, the share of income going to the top 2 percent of the world has risen by around 10 percent, meaning that our global economy fosters wealth disparity that benefits the rich. Labour and skilled workers, who account for around 80 percent of the global workforce, are in the most danger, whereas creative professionals and those with managerial experience are relatively safe. Thus, many are suggesting that the only way to ensure people survive in the Digital Age is to foster creativity and critical thinking in education, which would require massive educational reform. By raising a generation of innovative leaders, we may be able to prevent them from becoming obsolete in our high-tech world. |