Nearly half of employers say that automation technologies could reduce their workforce as soon as 2022. Retail workers, cooks, and servers, and warehouse workers are predicted to be most at risk for this shift, but not all experts agree on just how far this automation will go.
Less than a year ago in January 2018, Amazon opened a cashier-less grocery store. With more than 500,000 employees on the payroll, this completely automated shopping experience was a working experiment and revealed the power, as well as the limitations, of full automation. In the face of automation, soft skills become incredibly valuable. Abilities like empathy, creativity, and leadership qualities are skills that robots simply cannot replicate; in fact, one study suggested that less than 5% of occupations can become fully automated. Reliance on these uniquely human experiences is what keeps jobs like physicians, teachers, and even mechanical engineers at a low prospect for automation. Instead of full-scale automation replacement, a dramatic restructuring of positions, tasks, and responsibilities is a more likely outcome of these technologies.
If you’re concerned about automation taking over your job, look no further than inwardly to robot-proof your career. Development of personal soft skills gives us humans a competitive edge as robots grow more intelligent. Take a look at this infographic for more on the future of automation and how to keep your skills relevant.
Source: Online Bachelor Degrees
Brian Wallace is the Founder and President of NowSourcing , an industry leading infographic design agency based in Louisville, KY and Cincinnati, OH which works with companies that range from startups to Fortune 500s. Brian also runs #LinkedInLocal events nationwide, hosts the Next Action Podcast , and has been named a Google Small Business Advisor for 2016-2018.
