COVID-19 Pandemic May Permanently Replace Workers With Robots
The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the trend of robots replacing humans in the workplace, which could result in a recovery from recession that nonetheless costs jobs, according to a new report.
Workers whose jobs can be done by machines suffered more layoffs per capita than those with jobs that aren’t as easily automated, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said in a report released Monday. People of color were especially harmed, possibly because of their concentration in service jobs at risk of automation.
The report noted that most job losses during the health crisis are expected to be temporary. Yet, cashiers, hotel staffers, parking attendants, and others are at risk of permanently losing work if companies become satisfied with labor-saving technology, or if fears over future pandemics convince firms to stick with machines. The report added that previous recessions resulted in technology replacing laid-off workers too, leading to “jobless recoveries.”
There has already been anecdotal evidence that the coronavirus has exacerbated job losses to machines. Besides harming business balance sheets, COVID-19 has forced companies to limit contact between customers and employees. The result has been hotels replacing humans with self-check-in kiosks, meatpacking plants deploying slaughterhouse robots, and call centers using artificial intelligence to hold conversations. The study specifically cited the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, which went cashless and laid off 500 toll workers. (Read more from “COVID-19 Pandemic May Permanently Replace Workers With Robots” HERE)
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