The change in jobs because of robots

Not long ago I commented on the increase in robot sales around the world, and in part that’s because automation is starting to be seen more as an opportunity for improvement rather than a risk to jobs.

It is true that robots are going to eliminate many jobs, but it is not less true that they are going to generate many others, although being honest, it must be recognized that the new ones they generate will be somewhat less than those that have disappeared. That will be a reality.

The “problem” is that the alternative is not viable, since companies that automate improve their competitiveness and are better able to stay in the market, which is becoming more and more competitive every day.

I have seen a summary of a report by Forrester Resarch (market research company) in which they estimate what is going to happen in the next 10 years in the USA. And I reflect on it because what they indicate I think is perfectly valid for Europe and other developed areas, and in some way it will affect those of us who are reading this Blog.

According to Forrester, in the next 10 years, in the USA automation (or robots) will eliminate 11 million jobs, and at the same time 9.5 million new jobs will be created.

We see that there is a net loss of jobs, but the new jobs that are created are different from the ones that are eliminated. They are of higher added value, have more technological content and are supposed to be better paid.

In this immediate future that we already have on top of us, people must get used to working side by side with robots (whatever they are) and modify their ways of working. And for this, they must be trained.

Without “training” there is no way out, and it will be a more or less continuous training over time. And this is something that Institutions and Companies must promote if we want to maintain a minimum level of social cohesion.

Automation will free us from arduous, repetitive, dangerous jobs, etc… forcing people to learn new work patterns. And the people who don’t care about learning will have a very hard time.

It is no longer possible to go looking for a job with two hands and two feet, because what is most taken into account is the “head” of each one, the knowledge it harbors, and its ability to continue learning.

Sometimes when I look at young people and see the data on school failure, I feel really sorry to see so many people missing out on the best years of their lives. No one tells them what is coming their way. And that’s a shame, because they’re going to pay dearly for it.