The rise of the machines should worry us all
sir – The prediction that 600,000 construction jobs will disappear by 2040 (report, October 31) will come as no surprise.
We are now engaged in the fourth industrial revolution; the age of machines that possess vastly superior cognitive skills to the human brain in designing and operating complex nanotechnology and macrotechnology operating systems. Anything that can be systemised will be, with the objective of engineering labour out of manufacturing and other processes.
New job opportunities will arise, but not at a rate fast enough to absorb the huge swathes of displaced employees from both low-skilled and professional employment.
This, in turn, will affect consumption – a key component of a functioning capitalist economy. If the unemployed are unable to consume, how will taxes be raised to finance our social infrastructure?
Switzerland recently held a referendum on whether to introduce a basic wage for everyone, employed and unemployed alike, but this is a totally inadequate solution to an existential threat. John Barker
Prestbury, Cheshire