The Robots Aren’t Coming For Your Job–Get Back To Work!

robots taking jobs
A Robot Taking a Job
Image: Sebastian Lund

What I like is something that surprises me.

If it goes against a generally accepted principal, something that gets repeated so often that we stop questioning it, even better.

Robots taking jobs is a perfect example. In this article from Wired magazine by James Surowiecki (remember ‘Wisdom of Crowds‘?) explains why, while robots have started doing many jobs humans currently do (especially low-skilled jobs) there are plenty of other jobs that are being created in the larger economy.

We usually think of the supposed impending robot takeover of jobs as a tech issue, but if we look at the **actual** economic data about some of the assumptions we seem to be collectively making, we get another picture entirely.

I wanted to point Digital Media Minute readers at the article, despite the fact that it’s more about economics than tech, for exactly that reason.

Here are some of the reasons why at least so far we might have less to worry about than we think:

First, productivity–even in the manufacturing sector–hasn’t been rising as fast as it would be if the process of ‘robots taking all the jobs’ had really begun to any significant degree.

Second, unemployment is very low historically, and wage growth is rising faster than inflation and productivity. Wouldn’t be happening if all the jobs were going to robots.

Third, people moving from job to job (job churn) as robots supposedly take over just isn’t happening, and in fact is at a historic low.

An economist who’s been a proponent of the idea that automation will usher in a ‘second machine age’ puts it this way in the article:

“If I had to do it over again, I would put more emphasis on the way technology leads to structural changes in the economy, and less on jobs, jobs, jobs. The central phenomenon is not net job loss. It’s the shift in the kinds of jobs that are available.”

The article argues that the drop in US Manufacturing jobs in the last 20 or so years hasn’t been about automation anywhere near as much as it has been about Chinese manufacturing displacing US manufacturing.

The article ends by pointing out that you can’t mourn the supposed ‘secular stagnation’ that our economy has been going through and be simultaneously afraid that the robots are taking all the jobs.

If it happens as many people fear, the overall effect on the economy–a big rise in GDP, huge productivity gains, etc.–would be a huge positive, not negative.

The full article is definitely worth a read. Back to our regularly schedule tech-obsessed content tomorrow!

Chill: Robots Won’t Take All Our Jobs

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Apple Building Mothership-City Council To Approve

People who are irritated by Steve Jobs for one reason or another might want to skip this post, but I found his presentation to the Cupertino city council regarding Apple’s plans for a new campus to be fascinating. He starts with a story of how he called Bill Hewlett one day when he was 13 to ask for some parts and ended up with his first job, and explains that the property in question became available as a result of consolidation at HP.

The centerpiece of the proposed building, assuming Apple gets approval, will be a ring-shaped building in which more than 12,000 people will work. Even Jobs describes it as a spaceship-like. If you’re long Apple stock you’ll be encouraged by the confidence Apple is showing regarding their growth expectations. It’s also amusing to watch the awe-struck council members lob softball questions at him: “What would this expansion do for Cupertino residents?” “Well we are the largest taxpayer in Cupertino.” I’m thinking this expansion is mostly likely a slam dunk…