Jobs Robots Will Take First
It's not a matter of whether automation will make certain jobs disappear; it's a matter of which jobs robots will take first.
Though the current political atmosphere of the world definitely has a lot to do with the slumping job market, the truth is that there's another reason why jobs aren't as common as they used to be: automation.
Automation has already hit certain industries very hard, but it's becoming clear that others are quickly following suit. There's nothing a robot can't do these days, really.
The world is changing, and if we want to survive it, we need to pivot alongside it. If you want to make sure your livelihood isn't at risk, you need to make sure you don't have one of the jobs robots will take first.
Right now, we're seeing the ascent of robots happen right before our very eyes. Though most, if not all, jobs are at potential risk, here are the ones that are slated to vanish at the hands of robots within the next couple of years.
Manufacturing and Assembly
If you have been alive in the past 10 years, you already know that most companies involved in the manufacturing industry have laid off thousands of workers in favor of replacing them with machinery. This trend is nowhere near stopping, and if anything, it's accelerating fairly rapidly.
Manufacturing, above all others, are the jobs robots will take first. As a result, governments have been doing what they can to advise people in the manufacturing sector to look for training in another field. It's not a matter of "if" the jobs will be replaced by robots as much as "when."
This is true for electrical equipment assemblers, jewelry makers, and factory workers of all kinds. Manufacturing jobs are quickly going the way of the dodo.
Delivery Drivers and Truck Drivers
Once considered a staple of "Blue Collar" America, these two commonplace jobs are now seen as one of the most likely jobs robots will take first on a national scale. We have self-driving cars to thank for that, obviously.
Companies have a lot of reason as to why they'd want to automate their driving force. Fewer accidents, fewer workman's life quality issues, lower liability, faster transport times, and other similar perks would dramatically lower costs and increase output.
Customer Service Phone Rep
Seeing a phone representative on a customer service line used to be standard fare, and actually was a common job for many Americans. However, this job has quickly been dying out due to both outsourcing and automation.
These days, many customer service functions are now becoming automated by robo-operators. This is true with gym customer service groups, credit card companies, and more. Even the IRS has automated its phone service in most situations.
This means that any form of customer service done by phone would qualify among jobs robots will take first. Sadly, this also means we can expect a lot more robo-call headaches in the future.
Postal Service Workers
If you thought delivery and customer service reps should be shaking, you see what studies are saying about postal workers. Business Insiderrecently announced that this is one of the main government jobs robots will take first, with a 95 percent chance of automation in upcoming years.
Restaurant Cooks
Believe it or not, this is one of the very few creative jobs robots will take first—or even can take at all. Multiple restaurants have already started to toy with the idea of robotic chefs, including a Chinese restaurant that has a noodlemaking bot and the lobster bisque-making robot by Moley.
Fast food has long toyed with the concept of automating itself. That being said, most people will tell you that it'll still be a very long way before robots are fully capable of creating the entire menu.
Good food in fine dining, though, will likely still require a human touch. So, while chefs should sweat, they shouldn't bank on getting fully out of the kitchen anytime soon.
Cashiers
Not surprising, is it? If you've gone to an Acme or Foodtown recently, you probably have noticed a bunch of lanes that had self-serve checkout lanes at them. This is one of the jobs robots will take first, primarily because they're already doing it.
On a similar note, toll booths are also becoming increasingly automated—with some tolls having no cash lanes whatsoever thanks to the advent of EZ-Pass.
Retail Salespersons
It's hard to imagine a world where veteran sales clerks will not be able to offer tales from retail, but it's true. A lot of retail jobs are the ones that are being automated with breakneck speed—but not all of them, thankfully.
The most commonly automated jobs will include cleanup and cashier work. No input yet, though, on how robots will do the classic job of explaining to people why expired coupons don't work.
Tax Preparers and Bookkeepers
To a point, it's not surprising that these are the finance jobs robots will take first. These jobs are very algorithmic in nature and are very math-heavy by default. Many tax preparation programs already exist, and many companies have already started to switch their bookkeeping over to a more digitized source.
A computer program can easily fix most tax issues with individuals and CEOs alike. Right now, studies are showing a 98 percent chance of automation, with an 8 percent drop in growth from the past year. Don't be shocked if this trend continues in the future.
Loan Officers
Remember the days when you'd have to sit with a loan officer in order to get a car loan or a home loan? Well, you might be shocked to find out that they're one of the most common jobs robots will take first in finance. The reasons why loan officers will be seeing their roles going away is much for the same reason that tax preparers will be seeing the jobs vanish.
Being a loan officer is a very math-heavy job, and truthfully, algorithms can already determine which borrowers will be safe. Peer-to-peer lending makes this even more likely to get gone, so if you're a loan officer, it may be time to start sweating.
Yep. We're going to be seeing a lot of robotics in business.
Construction Workers
This isn't so much one of the jobs robots will take first as much as it is one of the industries robots will end up taking over. All the grueling, physical tasks that make construction such a well-paid task will likely be automated within 20 years.
The good news is that this means that construction will become a lot less expensive. The bad news is that the entire construction industry will likely see sweeping changes that would put many groups and people in financial disarray.
About the Creator
Riley Raul Reese
Riley Reese is comic book fanatic who loves anything that has to do with science-fiction, anime, action movies, and Monster Energy drink.
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.