The machines are not yet ready to take over

Manual workers have long feared that the era of self-driving trucks and robotic fast food servers is trying to wipe out their jobs. Now these same workers find themselves There is a demand As the economy recovers from the pandemic and governments and employers ask different questions, where are the robots when they are needed in many developed countries?

Covid-related lockdowns and travel bans are already accelerating automation in warehouses, factories and even restaurants. Political opposition of many rich countries to their dependence on migrant workers Truck’s driver The fruit hunt for social workers may outlast post-pandemic rebounds.

These are potential stimulants for a new cycle of automation – and there is historical precedent. The end of the 20-year Bracero program, which brought millions of Mexicans to agriculture in 1964, was to provide more jobs for American workers. Instead, he caused a wave of Mechanization by farmers..

However, at least some workers in today’s rare areas will soon replace robots as the work of machines is always difficult and it takes longer than expected to complete the technology. You may not be able to.

Many advanced manufacturing economies have already taken automation to a high level in the areas where it is most appropriate. The machines are ideal for predictable repetitive tasks in controlled environments such as production lines. Meanwhile, the boom in online shopping during pandemics is accelerating the shift to automated systems for order picking. Autonomous truck convoys have already been experimented with and may soon replace drivers, at least between open highways and distribution centers. This technology is used in downtown supermarkets and gas station..

It is difficult to use the machine for tasks that require dexterity in irregular environments, cognitive skills or unpredictable interactions in the real world. Agriculture has long been heavily mechanized in land preparation, sowing and harvesting of crops. However, farmers and the food industry still rely on human hands to find and pick fruits without damaging them and to debon chickens. The coronavirus has encouraged U.S. meat processors to invest in automation, but has often been deployed with people still working in the most highly skilled jobs.

Indeed, it becomes clear that robots are often used to improve human skills and do not replace them. Automation of support roles can be extended to include services. Due to an aging population and declining workforce, Japan is already using robots in nursing homes, schools and offices as security guards, cleaners or companions for the elderly. Eventually, when you go to the barber shop, you can find robots cleaning the floor and making reservations while the humans do their hair.

Another barrier to automation is that businesses and employers who suffer from labor shortages today often operate in highly competitive, low-margin industries, raising capital to invest in technology. I have trouble. To be more productive here, governments may need to provide better incentives, for example through subsidies and tax incentives.

However, it remains difficult to automate a large number of tasks in the near future. Therefore, closing the country’s deficit means improvement. Wages and conditions Invest in training. In particular, Britain’s post-Brexit Conservative government has said it has promised to do so. How much does it cost and how it affects prices is just starting to become apparent.