It’s a heady feeling. For the first time in our lives, employers need us more than we need them.
The evidence is everywhere. Companies that a year ago said they would go broke if the minimum wage was raised to $15 an hour are now rushing to offer $18 or even $19 an hour. And throwing in a signing bonus to sweeten the deal.
The message is the same on cable news shows and influencer blogs. The tables have turned. Workers now call the shots in the job market.
There’s just one problem with this smiley-faced view of employment. It isn’t true. Companies can’t stop operations for a lack of workers. Not if they want to survive.
So, what are they doing? They’re filling those empty desks with machines. Really smart machines.
Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s the conventional wisdom. There are some tasks that are just not doable by machines, no matter how intelligent they may be. How about:
• Brain surgery? Nope, machines are already doing it better than human surgeons.
• Legal research? Nope, machines have all but eliminated that chore for law firms.
• Teaching? Nope, machines can now deliver more knowledge than humans and tailor their instruction to students’ individual learning needs.
• Empathetic care for the elderly in nursing homes? Nope, machines are doing that too and earning high marks from the residents.
In short, artificial intelligence – the stuff that makes machines smart – is advancing at a breathtaking pace. Notwithstanding all those examples above, however, the switchover from a human workforce to a digital one has been spotty. At least until recently, lots of companies have been reluctant to adopt significant automation.
And, that’s now changing. Employers are charging ahead with plans to use machines to do more of the work they need to get done. Just this month, for example, John Deere introduced a smart tractor that will set agricultural companies on the path to eliminating jobs for farm workers.
So sure, feel good about being in the catbird seat in the job market right now. But, also have no illusions about what that shift actually means. It’s not the long overdue liberation of working men and women, but rather the trigger that will terminate more and more of their employment opportunities.
Food for Thought,
Peter
The employment crisis precipitated by the unconsidered introduction of artificial intelligence is but one-half of the “perfect catastrophe” that is now bearing down on the American People. Download my free book – The Neonaissance: the New Birth of a Noble Democracy in America & the Two Mega-Crises We Must Overcome for It to Happen – to get the whole picture. Or, if you’re busy, just read the free excerpt posted here.
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