There will most certainly be reduction personnel performing a mundane task within these organization as those tasks are automated. Whether this leads to headcount reductions within these firms is dependent upon whether the organization retains the employees to perform another task more suited to humans. As I look around my workplace, I see scores of harried people mired in mundane tasks. Automation of these tasks is promised and many feel that it cannot come fast enough. Looking at the same population, I can see that automation will free them (us) to pursue higher-value activities for our customers and shareholders. In my particular company, I do not foresee a reduction of headcount. Rather, as we grow, I see a slowing of hiring as more automation is introduced.
A recent McKinsey study predicted that by 2030, as many as 800 million jobs will be lost, worldwide, due to automation. The report also stated that new jobs will be created that will offset some of the projected losses (Vincent, 2017).
It has been observed that “Industry 4.0 will not solve the problems of mismanaged and weakly-organized manufacturing systems. Its tools should be applied to lean activities which are performed successfully before automatization.” (Ustundag & Cevikcan, 2018, p. 56)
Currently, there is a shortage of qualified people to lead the transition to the IIoT. Barkai writes, “Manufacturers will need to hire more software engineers. They will need professionals specialized in a range of new disciplines such as security, big data analytics, and decision support systems.” (2016, p. 103)
I believe that this presents an opportunity for mid-career folks, whose jobs may be directly affected by automation, to train for a transition into a Knowledge-worker role. They have the benefit of business knowledge that younger workers may not have acquired, yet.
Some of the job areas that will increase our data analysts, process engineers, and electromechanical engineers (Gilchrist, 2016, p. 6). There will be increased demand for human intellectual activities which artificial intelligence cannot replace, just yet. In this rapidly changing economy, workers must also prepare for the reality of life-long learning (Popkova, Ragulina, & Bogoviz, 2019, p. 89).
There is no doubt in my mind that jobs will be lost. But that does not mean that an individual should stand idly by and wait for it to happen. Rather, they should look ahead and prepare for the transition to come.
References:
Barkai, J. (2016). The outcome economy: How the industrial Internet of Things is transforming every business.
Gilchrist, A. (2016). Industry 4.0: The Industrial Internet of Things. Berkeley, CA: Apress.
Popkova, E. G., Ragulina, Y. V., & Bogoviz, A. V. (2019). Industry 4.0: Industrial Revolution of the 21st Century.
Ustundag, A., & Cevikcan, E. (2018). Industry 4.0: Managing the Digital Transformation.
Vincent, J. (2017, November 30). Automation threatens 800 million jobs, but technology could still save us, says report. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/30/16719092/automation-robots-jobs-global-800-million-forecast
A recent McKinsey study predicted that by 2030, as many as 800 million jobs will be lost, worldwide, due to automation. The report also stated that new jobs will be created that will offset some of the projected losses (Vincent, 2017).
It has been observed that “Industry 4.0 will not solve the problems of mismanaged and weakly-organized manufacturing systems. Its tools should be applied to lean activities which are performed successfully before automatization.” (Ustundag & Cevikcan, 2018, p. 56)
Currently, there is a shortage of qualified people to lead the transition to the IIoT. Barkai writes, “Manufacturers will need to hire more software engineers. They will need professionals specialized in a range of new disciplines such as security, big data analytics, and decision support systems.” (2016, p. 103)
I believe that this presents an opportunity for mid-career folks, whose jobs may be directly affected by automation, to train for a transition into a Knowledge-worker role. They have the benefit of business knowledge that younger workers may not have acquired, yet.
Some of the job areas that will increase our data analysts, process engineers, and electromechanical engineers (Gilchrist, 2016, p. 6). There will be increased demand for human intellectual activities which artificial intelligence cannot replace, just yet. In this rapidly changing economy, workers must also prepare for the reality of life-long learning (Popkova, Ragulina, & Bogoviz, 2019, p. 89).
There is no doubt in my mind that jobs will be lost. But that does not mean that an individual should stand idly by and wait for it to happen. Rather, they should look ahead and prepare for the transition to come.
References:
Barkai, J. (2016). The outcome economy: How the industrial Internet of Things is transforming every business.
Gilchrist, A. (2016). Industry 4.0: The Industrial Internet of Things. Berkeley, CA: Apress.
Popkova, E. G., Ragulina, Y. V., & Bogoviz, A. V. (2019). Industry 4.0: Industrial Revolution of the 21st Century.
Ustundag, A., & Cevikcan, E. (2018). Industry 4.0: Managing the Digital Transformation.
Vincent, J. (2017, November 30). Automation threatens 800 million jobs, but technology could still save us, says report. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/30/16719092/automation-robots-jobs-global-800-million-forecast
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