The Robots Aren’t Threatening Your Job

Robotic technology with ever-improving artificial intelligence, sensors and other capabilities inspires awe, yet many workers fear a mass loss of jobs. Society should be optimistic though if policymakers plan ahead, argues Catherine Rampell for the Washington Post. “Across history, technological developments have caused certain skill sets and jobs to obsolesce, yes, but they have also created demand for new skill sets and types of jobs, typically higher-paying ones that are complementary to technological advances,” she writes. “In 1900, 41 percent of the U.S. workforce labored in farming; those jobs disappeared, but new ones sprang up in their place, mostly in occupations that could not have even been imagined in 1900.” She recommends thoughtful corporate and government policies that invest in education and retraining, reinforce the unemployment insurance system, and encourage parents and students to select careers with flexibility. Individual workers have increased productivity with technology, but few see the reward of higher wages. Public policies have not responded to the changing nature of labor. – YaleGlobal