Will Robots Take Over Your Job?

The Industrial Revolution took the developed world by storm and the benefits of much of the technology still has a place in our daily lives. Technological advances over the past century have improved the lives of countless individuals and inspired many of the greatest moments humanity has experienced. From putting a man on the moon to eradicating smallpox, better and more advanced technology has put an indelible print on humanity that has changed how humanity functions and thinks. Technology is often hailed as life-saving, but many have concerns of a darker side to the innovations.

The Turn Of The Century

At the turn of the century most individuals were farmers, the scope of their employment was providing food for their families and selling any surplus for the products they needed that their farms could not produce, such as fabric, tools or cookware, Very few people work in agricultural trades currently and most people owe this to the technological advances in farming that have changed the nature of employment. Not many people are vying to return to sustenance farming, but this serves as an example of how advances in technology have major impacts on the workforce and career selection.

Factory work has become more and more streamline since the 1950s. Many blue collar workers have found positions harder and harder to find as factory work is modernized and manufacturing becomes nearly entirely automated. This has created concerns among economists and social scientists of high unemployment and a mis-match of skills and available workforce. Individuals wonder whether their job will be next in what feels like a robot take-over. Where is the line of safety from automation and should everyone worry about their livelihood?

Is A Takeover Imminent?

There is no simple answer and individuals that do jobs that are not complex, such as data entry, may have reason for concern. However, customer interaction positions in the service industry and positions that require a high-level of technical knowledge and quality are unlikely to be replaced due to the expense and inability of technology to produce consistent quality in complex tasks via robots. The sky is not falling, though there are definitely rain clouds over some industries. That said click here for a list of nine jobs that robots may take over.