MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Kindle Book on the Future Job Market and Economy -- The Forbidden Truth

anamardoll · 05-17-2011, 01:57 PM

I think that automation CAN affect unemployment, but it doesn't need to.

Take something like the "self-checkout" stations at grocery stores. The typical response for stores seemed to be to layoff buckets of employees because, hey, don't need checkers anymore! And now it's just as difficult (if not worse) to find an employee when you have a question, can't reach something, or when the self-checkout station seizes up because the 1 gallon milk you're buying supposedly weighs 2 gallons and BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

If the grocery store had kept all the "surplussed" checkers and retrained them in Customer Service, I'd be a happier customer all around and I'd be more likely to make THAT grocery store my "single source" instead of just stopping wherever is convenient when I arbitrarily remember that we need milk and cat litter.

I'm a software engineer that currently works in a field where we automate tedious software programming tasks to free up the engineers' time so that they can program more, better, and faster. The first thing I always tell my new clients is AUTOMATION DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN FIRE A SINGLE ENGINEER. It's also the second, third, and fourth thing. In addition to everything else, automation requires a LOT of maintenance and upkeep.

Any "surplussage" as a result of automation should be invested in making your product better, NOT in quick layoffs to get the same poor quality and service as before at a slightly smaller cost.

Of course, ask me if I think our corporate overlords REALIZE that or care about anything other than the short term...

05-17-2011, 01:57 PM	#8
anamardoll Chasing Butterflies Posts: 3,132 Karma: 5074169 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: American Southwest Device: Uses batteries.	I think that automation CAN affect unemployment, but it doesn't need to. Take something like the "self-checkout" stations at grocery stores. The typical response for stores seemed to be to layoff buckets of employees because, hey, don't need checkers anymore! And now it's just as difficult (if not worse) to find an employee when you have a question, can't reach something, or when the self-checkout station seizes up because the 1 gallon milk you're buying supposedly weighs 2 gallons and BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! If the grocery store had kept all the "surplussed" checkers and retrained them in Customer Service, I'd be a happier customer all around and I'd be more likely to make THAT grocery store my "single source" instead of just stopping wherever is convenient when I arbitrarily remember that we need milk and cat litter. I'm a software engineer that currently works in a field where we automate tedious software programming tasks to free up the engineers' time so that they can program more, better, and faster. The first thing I always tell my new clients is AUTOMATION DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN FIRE A SINGLE ENGINEER. It's also the second, third, and fourth thing. In addition to everything else, automation requires a LOT of maintenance and upkeep. Any "surplussage" as a result of automation should be invested in making your product better, NOT in quick layoffs to get the same poor quality and service as before at a slightly smaller cost. Of course, ask me if I think our corporate overlords REALIZE that or care about anything other than the short term...