Senin 23 April 2012
The Effect of Automation on Jobs
Concern about the effects of automation began 200 years ago with Industrial Revolution, and the public is still apprehensive. To many people, computers mean automation, and automation means loss of jobs. Just as the Industrial Revolution created hundreds of new job opportunities, so will the “Information Revolution”.
There is no doubt that the emergence of computer technology has resulted in the elimination of jobs involving routine, monotonous, and sometimes hazardous tasks. However, the loss of these jobs has been offset by the creation of more challenging ones. Many people whose jobs have been eliminated have been displaced to jobs carrying greater responsibilities and offering more opportunities. It is common for book-keepers to become systems analysts, for draft-persons to advance to computer-aided design, and for secretaries to become specialists in myriad of computer applications from word processing to data management. This pattern is repeated thousands of times each month.
Automation will continue to eliminate and create jobs. Historically, any advancement in technology has increased overall productivity in certain areas, thereby cutting the number of workers needed. But this also produces a wave of new jobs in the wake of cutbacks in traditional areas. With the cost of labor increasing and the cost of computers decreasing, the trend toward the automation of routine activities probably will continue. However, to realize a smooth transition to an aoutmated environment, industry and government must recognize that they have a social responsibility to retrain those who will be displaced by the loss of their jobs.
