Across North America, including the US, companies are using technology to replace low-skilled jobs. Â From 2002-2010, employment in construction, production, transportation and office support fell drastically, according to the McKinsey Global Institute.
While humans are losing jobs, robot use has increased. Business Insider reports that “low-skilled labor will be replaced by a robot economy.”
From 2002-2010, the operational stock of industrial robots in North America rose from approximately 100,000 to over 165,000. During the same time, the manufacturing output of labor rose from $50/hour to nearly $85/hour.
These trends are profitable for the owners of large companies, but tragic for workers. Â Â As Danny Weil observes, “That means more unemployment, more surplus labor and more misery for the working class all over the world.”
Sources:
Aimee Groth and Max Nisen, “A More Decentralized Workplace Is Becoming Inevitable,” Business Insider.com, January 16, 2013, http://www.businessinsider.com/the-future-of-the-workplace-slide-deck-2013-2?op=1 – ixzz2KVcJ8ohY
Danny Weil, “Disposable People and New Technology,” Daily Censored, February 10, 2013, http://www.dailycensored.com/disposable-people-and-the-new-technology/
Student Researcher: Jeremie Barbe, College of Marin
Faculty Evaluator: Susan Rahman, College of Marin