Impact of Automation on the Future Workforce - Essay Example

Presently, there has been a rising argument on the future of work. In the majority of the developed nations, one of the major issue is the threat to the jobs to the local population. Citizens in developed are facing threats in terms of loss of jobs to immigrants and outsourcing to low cost developing countries. However, one of the most influential factors to future jobs is not being addressed in such arguments; the issue of automation. Automations began with simple office jobs being delegated to computers, a situation that seemed to supplement human labour. However, with advancements in technology, automation has expanded to such extents that it is now a genuine threat to certain profession.

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Although technology have various benefits such as the improvement of quality, speed and the cost of production which results to the reduced cost of goods and services, the major drawback is that such benefits come at the cost of displacing large numbers of workers. As a result, such traditional concepts such as linking retirement schemes and health care to jobs also becomes affected as there will be a need to come up with alternative strategies to offer such services to the displaced workers. Furthermore, the economics of automations are very enticing. Automation allows for people to carry out production activities faster and with fewer errors and a cheaper price. As a result, there is an increase in productivity at low costs thus people do not have to spend a great deal of money and time to accomplish production which translates to generation of new wealth for the society (Morgenstern, 2015). Hence due to these advantages, the workforce will be negatively affected as less people will be employed.

However, experts on the subject of automation do not all agree that automation will lead to a reduction of jobs. From the various research endeavours on the effects of automation on the workforce, three arguments arise. On the one hand, some experts agree that automation will lead to staggering rates of unemployment, on the other hand other support the notion that computers and automation will have very little effect on the future of jobs while the rest posit that automation will lead to the creation of new job categories in the market that will eventually assist in providing employment to the employees that were displayed in the initial stages of the automation process (Frey & Osborne, 2013:259).

The third argument however is gaining more popularity because even from past experiences of automation, it has led to the creation of more jobs than have disappeared. Furthermore, more managers and business executives also agree that even though some jobs will disappear as a result of automation, other will spring up in the process. Additionally, although robots that replace most employees in various companies have the ability to work nonstop for twenty-four hours a day for seven days a week, such robots do not have the ability to creative and emotionally intelligent as human employees. As such, automation will not result to mass unemployment as humans are still required for skills that require leadership, imagination, creativity, responsibility and social relationships (Frey & Osborne, 2013:262).

Therefore, there are certain jobs that are safe from the rising trend of automation, however, there are those that are a highly susceptible to automation. In this regard, the majority of studies on the effect of automations reveal that computerisation will affect the majority of jobs in developing nations. Such jobs include workers in the field of logistics and transport such as delivery and taxi drivers, and workers in office support such as security guards and receptionists were found to be most likely replaced by computer capital. Furthermore, workers in the field of sales and services such accountants, telemarketers, rental and counter clerks and cashiers will also most likely lose their jobs to automation. Furthermore, research has also revealed that with the recent rapid developments of technology and machine learning, the number of jobs under threat of automation will increase and will span multiple occupations (Morgenstern, 2015).

Consequently, as stated earlier, automation will first lead to unemployment, however, with time, more jobs opportunities will eventually spring up. Business leaders and experts thus agree that such jobs will be related to the developments and maintenance of the automation hardware and software, hence the education system will have to change so as to cope with the changing marketplace. Thus, in examining how the Maltese workforce will be affected by automation, one has to look at the education system of Malta. The Maltese workforce is characterised as highly educated and flexible. The education in Malta is exceptional as the universities ensure that the students are taught using the latest modern methods so as to be at par with the modern marketplace. as such, Maltese are highly flexible and are able to adapt to new technology quickly (Company Formation Malta, 2016).

As such, the Maltese workforce will not be heavily affected by automation. Due to their ability to be flexible and highly adapt to new technology, the graduates that enter the market place in the future will have the necessary skills to handle the modern automated workplace. Also, due to the fact that the Maltese workforce presently concentrates on the software development (Company Formation Malta, 2016), they will play a significant role in the development and definition of new jobs that relate to automation software.

Bibliography

Company Formation Malta, 2016. Workforce in Malta. [Online] Available at: http://www.companyincorporationmalta.com/workforce-in-malta[Accessed 27 May 2017].

Frey, C. B. & Osborne, M. A., 2013. The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, pp. 254-280.

Morgenstern, M., 2015. Automation and Anxiety. [Online] Available at: http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21700758-will-smarter-machines-cause-mass-unemployment-automation-and-anxiety[Accessed 27 May 2017].