With all the talk of the coming automation crisis, many people are wondering: will their profession be safe from automation in the next decade? The truth is, nobody really knows for certain. New technologies can always disrupt the employment landscape.
The genuine threat with the anticipated automation crisis is the vast number of professions and industries that will be impacted simultaneously. Yes, in human history, technology has disrupted occupations, and humanity has always adjusted. But never before has this predicted massive number of jobs been lost at one time. Arguably the best available data report on the subject, from McKinsey & Co., suggests that a “midpoint scenario” in the US alone could be that 39 million workers could lose their jobs by 2030. In a “rapid scenario,” that number could be as many as 73 million jobs, forcing 33% of the entire workforce to change occupations.
So the pressing question is: how will this impact you and your family? Will you lose your job? Will your spouse or your parent? How about your friends?
In response to the report, Bloomberg created a chart where you can enter your occupation to see its likelihood of being automated. Additionally, the site Will Robots Take My Job allows people to determine what percentage of risk their current occupation or future vocation may have of being automated.
What these sites don’t take into consideration is the loss of jobs that will occur if 73 million people’s spending and charitable giving dramatically changes. It also doesn’t consider the potential civil unrest that could occur globally with such a disruption.
Reality Changing Observations:
1. What is your backup plan if your current job were to be automated?
2. In what ways can you practically begin to prepare for the emerging technological future?
3. How might you be able to diversify your skills in your current job to make an occupational shift if necessary?
