A Future Without Jobs

[jyl]

Guys, I think we need to be thinking about a future in which most low skill jobs no longer exist.

For example, 90% of retail jobs. Read this: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/04/how-amazon-go-probably-makes-just-walk-out-groceries-a-reality/2/

As well as 90% of driving jobs (AI vehicles). The majority of energy extraction jobs (oil, gas, coal). Most call center and customer service jobs (AI natural speech processing). Agriculture has already shed most of its jobs. Manufacturing as well. And so on.

The highly skilled will still have jobs - until their skills are obsolete. The owners of capital, as well. Probably there will be some "blue collar" jobs that remain too hard to automate - electricians and so on.

What happens when a US of 350 million only has employment for 50 million?

[RKDinOKC]

[Bob Kontak]

Well, I got into accounting in 1984. Within two years the Mac/Compac and Excel beat the snot out of the manual spreadsheet. This was the "sweat" of the accounting profession. The need is gone. One 23 year old who is into pivot tables and a battalion of oldsters are redundant.

[pwd72s]

I won't care...I'll be dead before the transformation to robotics is complete.

[LWJ]

Soylent Green. Sort of my answer for everything.

I think about this as well. I have young children. I expect my industry (insurance broker) to be disrupted in pieces. The more I think about it, art and communication are some of the most fundamental human activities that will persevere. Interesting to be certain.

[Jim Richards]

I recently read an article about the concept of a universal basic income. It's not likely to be a popular idea at point in time, but when jobs become a rarity, I guess people will adapt their thinking.

[john70t]

I'm part of the 1% who don't facebook/twitter/smartphone on an iPhone while sipping a grande latte.

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

LOL
Would that be communism or socialism ?

As Jyl pointed out, what do we as a country do when automation cuts down the number of jobs to 50 million, but our population is 350 million? Maybe just euthanize everyone that doesn't have a job?

[JavaBrewer]

IMO this is the biggest threat to the upcoming generation world wide.

[Jim Richards]

https://ig.ft.com/can-a-robot-do-your-job/

Will Your Job Be Done By A Machine? : Planet Money : NPR

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

I recently read an article about the concept of a universal basic income. It's not likely to be a popular idea at point in time, but when jobs become a rarity, I guess people will adapt their thinking.

I think it will come to that. There will always be entrepreneurs who come up with new ideas, but there must be a market, and if the potential market has no money even entrepreneurs will be jobless.

[sc_rufctr]

As technology changes there are always new jobs created. I really can't see it ever becoming a problem for the remainder of my working life. (I'm 52)

To our kids... Make sure you take your meds.

[TheMentat]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I think it will come to that. There will always be entrepreneurs who come up with new ideas, but there must be a market, and if the potential market has no money even entrepreneurs will be jobless.

That raises an interesting point I hadn't considered... I figured that a basic income could work at some sort of "subsistence level", But if everybody on "basic" doesn't have any disposable income, they aren't consumers...

[RKDinOKC]

George Jetson, Job is to push one button to run the company.

[MAS956]

In the words of the immortal Yogi Berra, "the future ain't what it used to be"...

[tabs]

We are already faced with a lack of demand. Why does one think the economy aint responding?

It is all leading to a collapse of the economy of scale. Which is necessary for technology to keep advancing. Remember civilizations rise and they fall. Leading to lengthy periods of dissolution. Read your history.

[sc_rufctr]

I don't think it will be as bad as that Tabs. Things will change for sure but I'd like to think things will get better for most of us.

[bonnie sacer]

hi,
i think the future will be better, although there is less job. so we need to upgrade our knowledge and skill.

[74-911]

Finland is experimenting with a guaranteed basic income:

Finland basic income: 2,000 citizens getting guaranteed income of $587/month - Jan. 2, 2017

and several other countries are thinking about it.

[sc_rufctr]

Give people free money! How to give up on your population without even trying.