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Is Shrinking Workforce Imminent With Automation?

We’ve been fascinated watching sci-fi movies where robots excelled and became our best buddies for years now. Aside from that, robots became our saviors that helped us save the world in an alternate universe or storyline. We’ve been awed by how intelligent these robots can be and how they seem to have a mind of their own even if they’re just machines. We can see how technology had streamlined our activities and increased our productivity as well as operations in our business.

Thanks to AI, 0VR, and Smart assistants, we’re able to finish our tasks and operate our business with ease. We can finish our tasks in just a snap or a click, which causes us to become more motivated increasing our company’s efficiency. Because robots can deliver their tasks diligently without giving out many excuses, sometimes we’re more than tempted to replace our dearest employees with automation.

Here are the factors or things you should need to consider when implementing automation in your jobs or business.

The Availability of the Said Automation Technology in the Market

Does the Technology Already Available in the Market

Does the Technology Already Available in the Market

Before you start browsing for a certain automation technology feature you want to implement in your company or office, you need to identify whether or not it’s already available in the market or for commercial purposes first. The Artificial Intelligence, VR, an even Augmented Reality, for example, are not commercially available yet. They only exist in laboratories and facilities of major business owners like Facebook. So you might have a hard time on gaining an automation feature until it’s already marketable.

The Costs Needed to Implement Automation

Compute the Cost of Automation First To Determine Whether Or Not You Can Afford the Technology

Compute the Cost of Automation First To Determine Whether Or Not You Can Afford the Technology

If the technology is now available to the market, then congratulations! You’ve now passed the phase 1. However, here comes the phase 2. Even if the technology is now commercially available, it might be too costly for you, especially if the technology is still new. Do you remember the time when PC was available worldwide, but only a few people could afford this kind of luxury? It’s because purchasing a personal computer at that time was too expensive. The same thing can happen to your desired automation feature. Before you consider adopting such a new technology, you need to assess your budget whether or not your company can afford it. And most of all is it worth the investment.

Your Automation Would Depend on the Labor Market Demand

Your Automation Would Also Depend Where You Live

Your Automation Would Also Depend on Where You Live

If your business deals with manufacturing, then most likely, the automation can be useful for you in order to streamline your business operations compared to food and beverages where food should be handled with care by a manual employee. Aside from that, the region or country where you work at plays a major factor too. Take, for example, if you’re living in Japan where the manufacturing companies, technology, and robotics are in-demand, you will most likely invest in technology too in order to catch up with your competitors. This also results in the shrinking of labor or manual workforce and Hikikomori in Japan.

You Also Need to Assess the Social and Ethical Norms of the Society

Last but not the least, you should also take into consideration the cultural, social, and ethical norms of the country or region you’re residing. Do note that not everyone is warming up to the idea of robots taking over human activities. You also need to consider whether your employees and the society can adapt to the changes your automation can bring not only in your company but to your customers too. Do they trust the robots to deliver the products or services you promised to them? If they’re in doubt, then maybe your company is not ready for the transition yet.

Consider the Social And Ethical Norms Around Your Workforce

Consider the Social And Ethical Norms Around Your Workforce

While we believe that these technological innovations can help our business become more efficient and productive, we believe that manual labor jobs and automation shouldn’t compete in the first place. If anything, these two job entities must work in tandem in order to achieve full productivity and efficiency. The robots can make mundane jobs easier to finish while the manual employees will be the one giving instructions to automation and maintaining them should problems or malfunction arises. They need to co-exist with one another in order for your business to move forward and become successful.  

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