Across North America, including the US, companies are using technology to replace low-skilled jobs. 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. 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