The Robots are coming, for your job, and for everyone else’s for that matter. We have not been watching closely enough but the robots are taking over all the low skill jobs and even some that are high skilled like cooking and teaching.
Just look at McDonalds and other fast food restaurants, there are kiosks everywhere. Some even have the kiosk send the order to a computer which tells the robots to put on your burger, and that is only in the restaurant industry.
Packages delivered by drones, orders pulled by robots, packed
and labeled, then shipped to a drone. Where are the people? They are hardly needed anymore and just think what the next few years will bring.
Where are the low skilled entry level jobs and where are any jobs?
By 2030 it has been estimated that over 10 million jobs will just disappear. Where will the youngsters start and even those who are trying to get a new start?
Unfortunately, the government is encouraging this through tax incentives. But what they don’t seem to understand is the loss of taxes from the now unemployed, who must go on welfare because there are no jobs to be had. Oh, I’m sure you know that robots do not pay taxes of any kind. Not good for Social Security, unemployment insurance, Medicare or income taxes.
We must raise the hue and cry throughout the land. We must tell our friends not about climate change but about the robots who are coming for our jobs. Call for a shorter work week. China will not have jobs the robots will. And our children and grandchildren will also have a tough time. Maybe the only jobs will be oiling and maintaining the robots.
Who will pay the bills? What to do? We must shrink the work week and consider removing the tax insensitive to install robots. Additionally, consider a robot tax and that will be the tough one. We want to encourage automation and improve productivity but it is also a money problem. The government needs our money to run our country. What will they do, just print money until it is worthless?
Rather than simply looking at today, let’s look ahead. When I was teaching elementary school, we tried to impress on students that over half of them would be working in industries or at jobs that simply did not exist as they were while fifth graders. Lessons were not to scare them or make them worry about how they could earn a living. The lessons were designed to focus them and us on teaching and learnings that were appropriate to facilitate skills aimed at better ways to learn, inquiry, research, flexibility (mentally, and physically), and confidence in ones own abilities. These skills were much more valuable than rote skills that were geared to the current job market. Kids need to learn practical skills, but being leery of the future does not help. Industry, invention, and innovation are what create jobs for the future.
Mike Young in pre historic times: the wheel will destroy our way of life.
Dave, you should read Bloomberg’s article today on the same subject, It said loss of jobs and loss of pay because of Robots.
Terry, If good schools gave us tools for the future, not sure what/where they are but I’m sure they are somewhere. It is too bad they gave up life skills and cut things like American History and government to I unit classes. But they did add Languages of the World, that will be a great skill for our new world.
Mike, Good schools’ successes in teaching learning skills are right in front of you. The minds that put the computer and its capabilities in the room with you, sent people into space, gave farmers programs to monitor their crops, and on and on all started in a time when radio and television were the most significant technology. FYI, both my high school aged granddaughters have taken mandatory courses in American History. They also write in cursive, study government in debate class and know how to balance a checkbook. Your dark cloud doesn’t hold any rain.
Terry, I’m sure you have seen the surveys that show kids coming out of school favor Socialism and think it is the best system. Something is not right. But maybe it the thinking skills they have been taught.