The more we move into the digital age the more we move away from manual based labour. Think of all the things that we no longer need to do manually and that we allow artificial intelligence machines to do or to assist us to do, more efficiently. Such as these examples;
1. Using a screw driver to drive a screw into some timber. These days we use a power drill with a screw driver head that does it at half the time and a fifth of the effort.
2. Going through customs at the airport in Sydney. You no longer need to line up. You have the SmartGate option, which performs passport control checks electronically.
3. Sending a letter to a friend or family member. We at one time wrote on paper then placed it into a paper envelope, stuck a stamp on it, then placed it into a post box and then played the waiting game. These days you can either write an email, or, making email system redundant, you can use a chat channel like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Slack to mention a few.
4. Booking travel. We used to have to call a travel agent, book flights and pick from the hotels that the agent was partnered with or had experienced themselves and then visit all the attractions that again they are aware of. These days you can book your own flights by researching the best prices on multiple websites and the best part is that we can do it from the comfort of our own homes in our undies.
5. Paper based Newspapers. Not a thing of the past yet but is slowing phasing out with the introduction of the electronic news outlets. The adverting will be a lot more dynamic and for the news outlets will be more lucrative as the ad can be refreshed and charged on a daily basis, round the clock.
6. Human service at the register. We used to have a great life at the checkout when buying groceries, not only did a human run the items through the till but they also would bag it for you in order of what type of consumable it was. Now we have the ‘privilege’ of scanning it ourselves, bagging it ourselves and finally organising the payment.
So, what do we all think of these advancements in the general world of high labour intensive and usually low income jobs?
Initially from a business owner standpoint, we would like the idea of the jobs being made redundant, especially if there is some belief of a financial saving. But, and I believe it’s a big BUT, as technology becomes more advanced and we move into the age of AI (artificial intelligence), how many other jobs will go and how will the youth of today get their start if the expectation is to start with some kind of experience? Not to mention the unskilled labour market that is now redundant and potentially too old to retrain into a new career.
There is something to be said for manual based jobs/careers. Not everything needs to be or should be automated.
