Historically, technological transformations created jobs! Remember the industrial revolution or the more recent IT revolution?? ….but this march of the world towards automation is different….automation is not just easing physical labour out…it’s actually “almost thinking” like what humans thought was irreplaceable…the brain!!
Automation threatens 69 per cent jobs in India 2016 World Bank report “Digital Dividends” Speculation
Not Possible, you say!! You’re thinking…..how??
1. The humans have to do the thinking and planning! True, but that’s only at the top strategic level.
Any other job that has any measure of repeatability can be automated to:
- – be done faster & with no breaks
- – with more precision
- – Almost zero-error
- – reduce employees
- – save cost
Enough reasons for any business to Automate as soon as it possibly can. After all, higher revenues are the primary objectives of all business.
2. The Bots can’t touch genuinely creative, people-centric jobs!! Yeah….for now…maybe another 10 years or so.
The painters, doctors, therapists, mechanics, scientists, etc, also need to prepare for the bots that are already creating original music scores and painting never-seen-before works of art!!
3. Only Manufacturing jobs are going to be affected by Automation! Really?
Yes, manufacturing is seeing a lot of automation….
In the Indian automotive sector, Automation/robotic density is 30-35 per 10000 people now, up by 20% since 2013.
BRABO, TATA Motors’ low-cost robot, for SMEs costs just 5 lacs. It replaces mid to low cost workers and can recover its costs real fast to become a tireless profit centre.
But …Here are a few facts to show that all the sectors are feeling the heat
IOT and AI are being used to automate all services like supply-chain, logistics, maintenance, marketing, advertising, taxes etc.
Job creation vs job loss numbers are obviously skewed…
20 new automation-skill jobs mean 50 regular jobs lost
+20 -50=-30 it is simple math!!
Automation is “blind to the color of your collar.”
– Jerry Kaplan, Stanford University
So How Do you Avoid the Job-loss Bullet??
With automation redefining the jobs and roles so drastically, people have to change how they think:
“It is a challenging task and I tend to believe that 60-65 per cent of them are just not trainable” – Srinivas Kandula, CEO, Capgemini India, Feb ‘2017 (about employees’ mind-set about keeping up with automation)
1. Be Agile – The economical landscape is changing at lightning speed. You must equip yourself to adapt and change predictively. Always be on the look-out for the new emerging-tech.
2. Retrain/Reskill/Upskill – Learn new skills to be in demand for the fast-approaching revamping and redeployment. With increasing automation, people will be needed in roles that augment technology. Stay relevant.
3. Diversify – No more can you depend on that one thing you specialize in….you need to have more eggs in your basket. Be a step ahead and learn the relevant emerging technologies. Look for multiple avenues to be economically relevant.
