Preparing for jobs that don’t exist
Act now to avoid being left in automation’s dust.
It’s been called the biggest workplace revolution since industrialisation swept the world in the 19th century and like the industrial revolution it is likely to change our working landscape forever.
Automation is coming and those who ignore it do so at their peril. This is the message of many leading human resource commentators and it would be wise for us all to take note. The effects of automation are already visible in many places where humans interact with the public — petrol stations, supermarket check-outs and airports.
Jason Walker, managing director of Hays recruitment in New Zealand, says our country is likely to see the effects of automation sooner than many others, especially given the new Government’s commitment to raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour.
“I have been speaking to cleaning companies who say it will be cheaper to purchase cleaning robots than to pay all their staff this rate,” he says.
We are also small and isolated — the perfect place for such a revolution to be tracked and monitored effectively.
Those who do manual, repetitive work are the most likely to suffer from the automation revolution. Walker says in the United States there are supermarkets with no staff. This trend is likely to continue as the costs of robots decrease and technology becomes more sophisticated.
Technology is developing exponentially and it can be hard to predict exactly where new developments will take place.
Driverless cars were the stuff of scifi just a few years ago, but now the United Kingdom is passing laws around how they are to be used.
In such a fast-paced world, it’s impossible to predict what is going to come next, but as a rule of thumb its jobs that require processing or muscle power that are the most at risk.
Even highly skilled roles such as accounting, law and human resources can be replaced by computerised intelligence.
“I could be replaced by a robot in the near future,” says Walker.
He gives an interesting example of how AI may be used in a human resources capacity to monitor employee performance.
“There are apps that can identify employees who are disengaging with their work,” he explains.
“This sort of technology will be able to track the behaviour of employees and alert managers when they are becoming dissatisfied. The employees can then be brought in to meet with their managers to work out how to get back on track.”
As discussed, many of the jobs that are likely to be replaced by automation are mundane and repetitive.
“These are jobs that are hard to fill, and are usually poorly paid,” he says.
There’s a positive side to this — relieving people of mundanity of physical labour will allow more them to explore other aspects of their skill base. People with “common sense” and insight will be particularly in demand in our brave new world.
“There’s a lot of talk of the gut being the second brain,” says Walker. “This is one of the keys to being successful in the automated world — being able to follow your instincts and move forward in a different direction.”
The much-derided BA may have seemed like a “soft” option a few years back, but the sort of lateral thinking such subjects foster will become more and more useful as automation takes over. Walker says that now is the time to act if you don’t want to be left in automation’s dust.
“Start to look for opportunities in your workplace where you can upskill and potentially work alongside the technology.”
Work in areas such as consultancy, app development, technical servicing and teaching of automation programmes are going to be invaluable once AI starts being used more widely.
Walker warns against being fearful of the coming changes, and start viewing them as an opportunity to extend yourself and develop your set of skills.
Preparation is the key — there’s no doubt some people will find themselves left behind as the AI revolution unfolds, so it’s best to remain ahead of the game.
He says good managers will give their staff new opportunities to extend their knowledge and add value to the business and their own set of skills. Having skills in place that can augment and support technology is extremely important for businesses and individuals.