Technology Review #5: Potential Job Distruptors
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A central theme at the Manna Project is that automation is going to destroy so many jobs in the coming years that society will not be able to adapt quick enough. There are a number of studies that are predicting the loss of tens of millions of jobs in the United States alone. Countries like China and those in the EU face similar percentages of losses.
This is one of the main reasons we believe distributing a basic income is going to be necessary. This is purely a technological move that is going to destroy the jobs. It will be global in scale, affecting the third world nations first, before moving to the more developed ones.
Sadly, there are many who tend not to follow what is happening. We all lead busy lives so not spending one's day reading about technological innovations and how it will affect society is understandable. This is, however, a necessary part of the educational process that must be carried forward.
Each week, we are going to compile a few stories that show what is happening in this area. They will be linked to the original source and contain information about part of the oncoming technological boom.
We hope this helps each reader to garner some idea of the potential that is ahead of us. The studies done that conclude tens of millions of job losses is made real when one sees the research that is taking place.
Here is this week's submission:
The agricultural industry seems to keep popping up. We posted an article yesterday that talked about China seeking to eliminate 250 million farmers by automating the farming in that country.
https://steemit.com/manna/@mannacurrency/china-seeks-to-eliminate-250-million-farmers
Fruit picking is hard work. It is also very slow. This is an area that traditional was occupied by migrant workers. The agricultural industry took advantage of immigrants by paying them near slave wages to pick for them. There are a variety of reasons for the shortage in workers which is forcing the automation hand.
Automated fruit pickers have been under development for a number of years. It now seems like they are ready for real action. This will obviously make up for the short fall in workers but do not think that it will not replace the rest. If successful, you can believe that these enormous Ag companies will roll this out everywhere.
Staying in the same industry, why stop at pickers? Why not automate the entire farm?
This is what many are seeking to do. There are some calling for a new Agricultural Revolution, this time with automation at the core. Whatever workers are left in this industry, most of them will be automated out. One advantage is that there is a lot less regulation on a farm than there are on city streets. Autonomous vehicles will become popular very quickly, they just might be seeders and tractors as opposed to cars and buses.
https://www.investors.com/news/farming-robot-agriculture-technology/
Here are three cases where automation is going to impact jobs. There is no reason for the companies that oversee this industry to shy away from it. When it comes to profits, employees are a draw. Replacing labor creates a more advanced form of farming creating better yields for less money. From that perspective it is a win all around.
The exception being, of course, the workers.
This is a point we aim to drive home with these real world examples of what is taking place.
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I can sympathize only so much with self-induced joblessness. Is it the burden of anyone else to ensure I have marketable skills in order to provide for my family should I become replaceable?
Automation may sound dire if my only hope is to depend on others to lower the bar in order for me to perform labor that is better suited for cheaper and more efficient technology.
Please stop it with the victimhood mentality and enabling people to blame others for their misfortunes. Poverty is the default of this world and it should be the goal of those engulfed in it to drag themselves out. If they cannot or will not then that is their fate.
#hardtruth #sorrynotsorry
What skills do you think will be marketable in the next 5-10 years?
I cannot say that I am a talent recruiter but if one's only skill is manual labor and that job is automated then who is to blame, the field owner or the laborer?
My point is that I fully subscribe to self ownership, personal responsibility, and personal accountability. If I lose my job tomorrow there will be many factors at play. But I know I can stand back up from getting knocked down, dust myself off, and find other work. If the only factory in my little town closes up I can assure you I will be packing up the next day to move on to the next town.
That is great that you have that view.
However, we wonder how well that will suit you when up to 1/3 the jobs are destroyed by automation in the next 10 years. This is a figure that it forecast by a number of different studies. Will they be right? Only time will tell. So what you call victimhood mentality is a warning.
By the way, it is good you care not a talent recruiter: that is being automated along with hr, accounting, and billing departments. How are the job prospects going to look when 50% of banking/finance is eliminated, 50% of the transportation jobs, kitchens are automated, and all the jobs related to supply chain work is gone?
This is the point. If those who are forecasting this are wrong, not the end of the world. If the ones who are stating just take care of yourself and increase your job skills are wrong, tens of millions are starving.
people survived for 10's of thousands of years without 'jobs' and then money became something 'important' and then people got stuck doing 9-5's they dont enjoy.
because 'the work needs to be done'
if people dont have 'work to do' then maybe they can focus more on the things that are actually important, like family.
eliminate the 'wages' part of things, and all of a sudden depression levels will decrease. and we may actually advance as a society, instead of continually spiralling downwards.
not sure how much sense i made above, and if the thought i was trying to convey came out. its 3am here, and i havent slept in 2 days cos 'theres work to do' and my UBI just doesnt quite cut it yet ;)
@mannacurrency
Should we stop sending emails because the postmen is losing his job?
What are you sollutions?
@mannacurrency, I still do not see your point. If 1/3 of all jobs are to be lost, what is the solution? I do not think that hindering efficiency or quality is the solution either. I can only say that I fully and 100% trust in the free-market solutions (whatever they may be as we are not fortune tellers). The best ideas will always rise to the top and that which is not sustainable or efficient will wash out.
If someone is buying with their conscience and the free market values morals over buying power then I will respect that. I cannot subscribe to artificial manipulation of markets for sympathy's sake. Until then my values are autonomy and freedom. If I am a business owner I will not allow any outside force to mandate that I continue down the path of proven inefficiency or human error just for keeping manual labor jobs alive.
There will still be a market for hand (made, picked, grown, manufactured, etc, whatever the case may be) but automation is the future and inevitable. Modern furniture is one example of this. Have you priced a handmade carved wooden kitchen table? You will be lucky to get one for under $4,000 while IKEA can sell a table and six chairs for a cool $250. Is it sad that furniture makers are out of business or are we grateful that there are consumer goods that are available to us for a fraction of the price of handmade goods? Do you always over pay for organic, gluten-free, non-GMO produce or are automated fruits and veggies good enough?
I can continue on but I think the point is made. If you would rather pay extra out of pocket there will always be a market for you but please do not hinder the rest of us from enjoying lower cost goods.
peace
I cant speak for the writers on here but I believe the point is that technology starts with the shortfalls before eventually replacing it all.
We are saw this in the States with taxi drivers. There was a shortage, in came Uber, hence no shortage of drivers.
You are right, it will be interesting to see what they pull off and how they can automate. I do believe there are many jobs that are better if people do not do. They are horrible and unsafe.
peace
I see more and more people becoming homeless, rents growing higher and higher, and fewer and fewer jobs already. It's like people who deny global warming - it could be right in their face, but it's such a long arc they're convinced it's a local/temporary issue.
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